Eternally Powerful
by Darkest Original
Summary: Laurent changed Bella. Now 50 years later, Victoria is still after her. And where are the Cullen's? Bella thinks that her problems are bad enough because how can things get any worse? What happens when the Volturi get involved and did they get involved?
1. Save Me

**Eternally Powerful**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, Stephanie Meyer does.  
>Summary: After Edward leaves Bella in New Moon and she goes to the meadow. Laurent shows up but the wolves don't show up in time and Bella begins the change. But what would happen 50 years later that would threaten to tear apart Bella's new world? And change the entire vampire world?<br>The words in italics are taken from New Moon.**

**I'm re-editing this story so I won't be posting new chapters. Just letting you all know.**

**Chapter 1: Save Me**

_New Moon Page 241-242_

"_Beg," my hallucination begged._

"_Please," I gasped._

_Laurent shook his head, his face kind. "Look at it this way, Bella. You're very lucky I was the one to find you."_

"_Am I?" I mouthed, faltering another step back._

_Laurent followed, lithe and graceful._

"_Yes," he assured me. "I'll be very quick. You won't feel a thing, I promise. Oh, I'll lie to Victoria about that later, naturally, just to placate her. But if you knew what she had planned for you, Bella…" He shook his head with a slow movement almost as if in disgust. "I swear you'd be thanking me for this."_

_I stared at him in horror._

_He sniffed at the breeze that blew threads of my hair in his direction. "Mouth watering," he repeated, inhaling deeply._

_I tensed for the spring, my eyes squinting as I cringed away, and the sound of Edward's furious roar echoed distantly in the back of my head. His name burst through all of the wall I'd built to contain it. Edward, Edward, Edward. I was going to die. It shouldn't matter if I thought of him now, Edward, I love you._

I shut my eyes completely, not wanting to see Laurent as the last image before I die. So I pictured Edward, with his unruly bronze hair, his crooked smile and his topaz eyes. Oh, why couldn't you have just stayed with me and then I wouldn't be about to die, I thought. And before Laurent bit down on my neck I whisper a final sentence, hoping to be heard but knowing that I won't, "Save me."

I feel the sharp pain on my neck from his fangs tearing my skin open, I cry out and try to twist away but Laurent holds me tightly. It is agony to be feeling your body drained of blood and not being able to do anything about it and when I know that I am mere minutes away from death, a shout echoes through the meadow.

My eyes shoot open and lock onto the horrified gaze of a visiting hiker, standing across the meadow from us. Laurent immediately lets go of me and as I collapse to the ground I watch him run at the hiker and snap his neck in one fluent movement. The body of the dead hiker fell the forest floor, much like I did but I'm not dead, yet.

As Laurent is coming back to finish me off a loud growl sounded from seemingly everywhere at once. Five enormous creatures come from all of the corners of the meadow and start to surround Laurent. By now I'm feeling the burning pain from Laurent's venom but I try desperately to ignore it and not to cry out in agony and alert the enormous beasts to my presence. I've lost so much blood that I don't even care what they are, I'm just glad that they stopped Laurent from coming at me again.

Suddenly Laurent turned and ran, faster than my human eyes could follow and then the beasts followed after him at the same pace.

The pain from the venom brings me back from the very weird scene and the fire has started out at my toes and finger tips but now it is moving up to my knees and elbows. I crawl over to a nearby bush to hide in its leaves, just in case a passing hiker finds me withering in pain on the meadow floor. Once I'm safely hidden from view, I lay out flat on my back and try not to make a noise because then I would alert someone to my presence.

While I'm burning for the first day, I'm making plans about what would happen after I would wake up, while trying and failing to ignore the burning sensation of a fire charging through my veins. I know that I will try not to kill any humans during newborn year, but I also know from the stories that _they _used to tell me was that I would have no control and I would kill people, even if I didn't want to.

On the second day I think of Charlie, Renee, Phil, and Jake, and how they will think that I just went missing and that they won't have the peace of mind that they would if they knew that I have actually just died. When I wake up, I won't be able to see them right away, so they'll have to think that I went missing, while I try and control my newborn urges. But after my newborn year, I'll go back and see them from a far but I won't talk to them, I don't think I'll have enough control for that.

I'll have to stage my death, either by making it appear as a suicide or an accident and then when I'm at the morgue, I'll just slip out and have them believe that my body was stolen. But that won't let my family have their peace; they'll always think that my body is to never be found.

I could always make it appear as a car accident, which I just swerved of the road and into a tree on the side of the road. It would be a head on impact and it would kill me instantly and then when I was at my own funeral I'd have to stay very still and not breathe but then Charlie and Renee would get to say their goodbyes and I would see them for a last time.

Look at me, thinking about how I should die, I've never be suicidal so this is a first for me.

Suddenly the pain intensified and it feels like I'm being sawed in half, hit by a bus, punched by a prize robot fighter, trampled by bulls, and submerged in acid, all at the same time. I'm actually surprised that I don't make a sound the entire time that I'm lying here on the forest ground. Then the most wonderful feeling that I could ever imagine happens to me.

The pain began to recede, it is gradual and slow but it does recede from my toes and finger tips. Soon the fire that has been ever present in my veins is being pushed back even farther until both of my legs and arms are finally pain free at last. But there is a slight problem, now that the fire has been pushed back; it's been pushed back into my heart and the pain is doubled.

My heart begins to speed up until it is fluttering like a humming bird's and I'm afraid that it would explode before I finish the ever painful change. The fire is burning away the last bit of my body that is still human and for a minute, I don't want the fire to consume my heart because my heart is the only human thing that would still connect me to my human life and the people in it too.

But the fire rages on, my heart is consumed and it finally stops beating.

Everything is silent, almost as if waiting for me to do something unexpected and I do. I open my eyes and gasp at how well I can see and hear, I can hear out to the highway and that is at least 5 miles away. I can see the tiny dust particles floating in the air, and the tiny imperfections in everything that was around me. The beauty of the meadow that I was laying in and each individual feather on the bird that was looking down at me with a confused expression on its face. I hear its heartbeat loud and clear and now I'm wishing that I hadn't looked up since this innocent bird is going to die soon.

As soon as I think that, I'm on my feet and have the bird in my grasp. My teeth brush its soft, delicate neck and then I quickly drain it entirely of blood. Not feeling the least bit satisfied, I drop the body of the dead bird and run.

Trees and branches flash past me and I finally understand how _he_ didn't run into any trees. With my eye sight and speed I could easily move to avoid the low hanging branches and all of the trees that I'm running past. I got to admit, when running this fast it feels like flying and I love the speed without having to worry about running into something. And if I did run into something, I wouldn't be damaged but the thing that I ran into would be.

A sudden thumping distracts my thoughts and I turn sharply to the right to follow the sound and the lovely smell that went along with it. I soon came upon a mountain lion that had just killed a deer and the smell of the freshly spilled blood of the deer became too much and I attacked.

I will never be happy with what I did right then, I jumped on the mountain lion and wrestled it to the ground. I wasn't worrying about the deer because it wouldn't be able to go anywhere anytime soon. The mountain lion tried to pull his razor sharp claws across my stomach but instead of my insides spilling out, a horrible screeching sound, like nails on a chalkboard but worse, filled the air. The huge cat cringed away from the sound and I took the opening to grab its head and bite into its neck, faster than a rattlesnake.

Once I was finished with the mountain lion, I move onto the deer and when I was done with that, I bury them both then move to sit on a nearby boulder finally feeling sated.

I'm surprised that I didn't go on a human killing spree and instead started killing animals right away. Maybe I can go and see Charlie before having to wait an entire year and then see if he's fine and stage my death. No, I won't go and see Charlie until I'm absolutely sure that I will be able to resist the smell before putting his life in danger. While I was thinking this an irresistible smell wafted up to my nose and I leapt up from my perch and dashed into the forest. Before I reached the smell, I leaped into one of the nearby trees and looked down from my perch.

A group of twenty men and women are all standing together looking at a map that is half shaded with a red marker. "See, we are here," a tall blonde woman said while pointing on the right side of the map that hadn't been shaded yet. "Now, half of you will sweep the area to the west of the position we are in now and the other half of us will go to the east. When your group is done its sweep come back to this position. And if either group should find the Swan girl, then radio us and we will all come and help you."

I froze when I heard my name, were they out here looking for me? They probably are because they said my name and some of the people in the group are people from town or the parents of my friends and when I looked at one of the other people looking at the map I realized that it is Charlie.

Charlie looks horrible, with dark circles under his eyes and a defeated expression. Charlie whispers to one of the group members beside him but his voice keeps cracking, either from sadness or it not being used lately, I'm not sure. A small breeze blows across the group and brought the smell of their blood to my nose once again. It was so tempting to just jump down on the group and drain every last one of them but I stopped myself at the last minute. What was I doing, these people are friends and people that I know. And I can't kill Charlie, not after all that I've put him through and everything that he's done for me. So I hold my breath and run away from the men and women, not wanting to hurt them.

Once I was far enough away from the people I stopped and realized that I didn't kill them. _Those_ people had told me that I wouldn't be able to control myself but I did, so maybe I can see Charlie sooner and not prolong his sadness.

I raised my head to the sky and smiled a real smile for the first time in six months. I get to see Charlie sooner and I didn't kill a huge group of people, so as long as I don't kill anybody and I keep getting more control over my urges to kill people, I'll be able to get back to being with humans sooner than I thought.

**AN: This is my first Twilight fan fiction, so tell me if any character is a little OOC. Now just to tell you Bella won't be so depressed after Edward leaves in my story but she will still be hurt by what he has done. Oh, one more thing hit that little blue button below and review! :)  
>-Darkest Original<strong>


	2. Memories

**AN: Hey everyone. Thanks for the review and adding me to your favourite author/story list, or putting this story on alert. Every time I get a message that someone has done this, it gives me more motivation to write the next chapter faster. **

**I would like to thank Klaus-is-epic for being my beta-reader for this story, I really appreciate it! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, Stephanie Meyer does.**

**I am re-writing this so you don't need to re-read this if you don't want to.**

**Chapter 2: Memories**

I just realize something… I'm a vampire, finally. After all of the months of asking _him_ to change me and then not getting anywhere, I'm finally changed and because of an accident. I mean, if that hiker hadn't stopped Laurent from taking my blood then I would have died. On the forest floor, for a passing hiker or an animal to find my body. I don't even think that I'm depressed that _he_ left me anymore, no I'm pass depressed, now I'm at anger. I think now that I'm a vampire it's put everything I knew before into perspective. _He_ left me of his own free will, it's not like _he_ was forced to. _He _just wanted to leave me.

A couple of minutes ago I just finished my meal and I plan on going to go and see Charlie, from a distance though. Each day my control to be around humans is growing, and today I just felt a little uncomfortable around them but not too much.

_*Flashback to earlier today*_

_I pull the hood of the sweater I borrowed from my room lower on my head and stepped into Newton's Outfitters. The enticing smell of human blood rushes to my nose and I have to stop for a moment and get adjusted to the smell. I take a deep breath, ignoring the burning in my throat and head straight over to Mike._

"_Hey, um where do you guys keep the camping gear?" I ask and as soon as I spoke, his head shoots up to look at me. I keep my eyes lowered so that he won't see my face or my eyes and wait to see if he would recognize me, I hope that he wouldn't. _

"_Um… they're over there," he says, stumbling over a few words and pointing towards the east side of the store. "Here, let me show you."_

"_Thanks that would be great."_

_We walk over to the camping section and I can practically feel his eyes on me. "I'm sorry but do I know you? I feel like I've known you from somewhere." Mike asks and when I glance up his face is all scrunched up in concentration. If I'm being truthful, it made me want to laugh but I held it in. _

_I glance towards the camping equipment and look over all of the different types of equipment and the sizes. If I'm being truthful to myself, I have no clue about anything having to do with camping. I don't even know how to put up a tent, but now that I'm a vampire I think that I can set up a tent. I'll need to because I can't go home yet, but I need to keep up my resistance to human blood. I'm pulled from my thoughts when Mike asks me what type of tent I would like. "I'll take this one," I say while grabbing the tent in the blue package._

"_Well, I'll ring that up for you." Mike replies then takes tent from my hands. _

_I turn around from the display case and out of the corner of my eye I see a mirror, the first mirror I've seen since I've changed. I turn to face it head on and slowly lower my hood. My old dull, limp brown hair is now a deep brown almost black color and my face is free of the tiny imperfections it used to have. But what surprises me more than my face are my eyes, they are now a burgundy color instead of the vibrant red they probably were right after my change. I look beautiful, I don't mean to be vain, but I think that I could even compare to Rosalie now and she is truly beautiful. _

_I'm once again pulled from my thoughts when someone bumps into me from behind. _

"_Oh, I'm sorry. Are you alright?" I ask the girl that bumped into me while I grab her arm to steady her._

"_Yeah, I'm sorry." She replies and then I realize that the person that I bumped into was Angela. I must have been starring at her for a second too long because she looks down at her feet._

"_Um… do I know you?" She asks._

"_No, I don't think you do. It's just that you remind me of a friend that I used to know." I confess._

_Angela looks up again for a second then says, "You do too but I gotta go before I'm late getting home."_

_I watch as she leaves the store and then I go up to the register where Mike has my equipment. I pay for the tent and once I'm outside I run up to this little clearing in the woods I've been staying at._

_*End of Flashback*_

I shake my head as if to clear my thoughts even though I don't need to. In front of me is Charlie's house: it still looks the same, same white walls and same stupid forest behind it too. Charlie's cruiser isn't in the drive way because he's still at work, so this should work. I walk into the house and up to my room, it still looks the same but I don't know why I was expecting any kind of change.

I grab a bag from my closet and start taking all of the clothes that I will need from my closet. I had just enough money to buy the tent, but not enough for new clothes. So here I am grabbing old clothes from my closet while Charlie is at work, hoping that he won't realize that they went missing. Once I finish grabbing all of the clothes I want, I start walking out the door of my room when but apiece of floorboard pops up under my weight. Interested I drop to my knees and pull up the rest of the board. My eyes widen as I see the pictures I took on my birthday, the CD, and the plane tickets that Carlisle and Esme gave to me.

What are they doing here? And why are they under the floorboard? I pick up the photo of Alice and I at the mall slowly. There I was with a forced smile and Alice, looking as energetic as ever, practically bouncing in the photos. That day was almost like every other shopping trip that Alice has ever forced me on. Though that time Alice actually let me have an opinion in which clothes that she would get me. That is something that I will remember for the rest of my immortal life even though all of my human memories are grainy and seen through weak human eyes.

I place the items back underneath my floorboard and make sure that the floorboard will stay shut. I stand up and am about to walk over to the door when I see something out of the corner of my eye. I turn around and walk over to a glittering heart pendant on a delicate silver chain sitting on my desk. When I grab the necklace off my desk, my mind brings me to the memory of when I first got that necklace.

_*Flashback*_

_It is the first weekend in July after we got out from school and it was actually sunny out. Edward had left this morning before Charlie came to check on me but had promised to come back after Charlie had left for work. I am currently outside lying in the sun in a little clearing in the woods behind my house that I found one day. I'm at my favourite part in __**Wuthering Heights**__ when Edward comes out of the surrounding woods._

"_Hey," I call out without looking up from the page that I'm reading. But out of the corner of my eye I see Edward walk up to me and stand by my head, I thought that he was going to lay down but instead he grabs the book from my hands._

"_You did not." I say while slowly getting up, I see an innocent look on his face and that's when I lose it. I lunge at him hoping to get my hands around his back quick enough to grab my book but knowing it was useless. Edward stops my hands with one hand while bringing the book out from his back and dangling it above my face with the other. I try jumping for the book but that doesn't work well because my hands are held together._

"_Okay, I give," I choke out between laughs._

"_You only needed to say that and I would have given the book to you." Edward taunts with the crooked smirk that I love._

"_Yeah, but I didn't want too." I reply with a smirk on my face._

_We both lay down on the blanket for what seemed like hours after that in comfortable silence. Then Edward sits up suddenly and I look at him confused._

"_I wanted to give you something," Edward says then he slowly grabs a box from his pocket, opens it up and hands what's inside to me. It's a silver heart with 'Always' engraved on the back and it is attached to a delicate silver chain. "I wanted you to know that my love for you will always be the forever kind and not a high school fling kind. I will always love you Isabella Swan."_

"_I love you too, Edward," I reply, a little chocked up over what he just said to me._

_*End of Flashback*_

I'm so mad at myself for believing that stupid line that I grip the necklace in my hand tighter. The amount of pressure on the necklace slowly increases until all that's a pile of dust from what the necklace used to be. I turn my hand so that the dust falls out of my hand and walk out of the house, knowing that I can't stay here anymore.

There are too many painful memories here of the Cullens; I can't live here peacefully - well as peacefully as you can when you're a vampire that was turned against your will. And if I have to admit it, it's even harder to live peacefully when your true love doesn't love you.

When I went to the meadow, I was looking for memories of Edward, to bring back my hallucination. Now, I'm running from the memories. Its ironic how in only a week, all that I thought I wanted has changed so dramatically.

That means then that I'll have to fake my death pretty soon, and not breathe while people are saying goodbye to me at my funeral.

Oh yea, I just hope they don't cremate me. Note the sarcasm.

I run over to the nearest neighbour's house, which is Mrs. Morgan's house. She's an older lady who doesn't get out much and always has an extra car. She won't care if the old one in the back of her garage just happens to be in a car accident.

The whole time I'm driving, I'm thinking about how this one action will either help my new life or destroy it. I'm still mulling over my next decisions when I purposely drive into oncoming traffic, a car slams into the driver's side and a horrible screeching sound fills the car. I'm thrown out of the car when the car starts rolling off the highway and I'm still wondering if I've made the right decision. But when the ambulance comes, I don't stop them from thinking I'm dead.

**AN: Remember! Reviews give motivation and more motivation makes me want to update faster. I promise to update sometime next week if I'm not busy.**

**-Darkest Original**


	3. 50 years later

**An: Thank you to all of the wonderful people who reviewed for my last chapter! It made me happy **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, that belongs to Stephanie Meyer. **

**I would again like to that Klaus-is-epic for being my beta for this story. She catches my mistakes and helps me write better. Thank you!**

**I'm re-writing this! I've noticed mistakes and I want to take them out. Just letting you all know that there will be no more NEW chapters.**

**Chapter 3 - 50 years later**

**EPOV – 20 years after Bella's death**

My Bella is gone. Gone forever.

I left to protect her from my world but now I wonder if I didn't leave would she have died from the car crash anyway? She probably wouldn't have but then she might have died from Victoria or someone else coming to kill her.

The entire family has been grieving the fact that we have lost Bella forever now and we can't go back and just bring her back into life as a vampire. Alice feels as if she's lost a best friend and a close sister, Esme feels as if she lost her own child again, and Rosalie, even though she didn't really like Bella, she misses the fact that I was more alive when Bella was alive and that Bella made the entire family feel whole. Emmett feels like he's lost his little sister because he had grown quite found and protective of Bella, Jasper feels as if it's his fault that we left, so ultimately, his fault for her death, even though we tell him it's not his fault. As for Carlisle, he also feels like he's lost a daughter but he also grieves that I've lost my mate.

I feel the worst though. I think that if I maybe had Alice look after her, then we could have given her a warning to not go driving that day. Or if I had stayed and we both got into the car that day, then I could have protected her from the crash or if she was almost dying, I could have changed her and she would be with me. With the family, happy, sorta living and at my side through all eternity and we wouldn't need to worry about Victoria because we would've taken her on together.

We didn't even know of the crash until it aired on TV a couple of hours later, we originally thought it was just an unlucky driver but when they said Isabella Swan, Emmett and I froze in front of the TV while the rest of the family ran to the living room. When the news cast was over Jasper had to leave the house because of the overwhelming feelings coming from us, my feeling's the strongest.

I felt like my heart and soul had been ripped out, and sometimes I felt like I was missing half my body but when I would look down, I was still whole. The agony and grief that I went through and am still going through, is enough for me to want to die and join Bella in the afterlife. I've tried before but the family has always stopped me and talked some sense into me, but they can't stop me from wanting to be with my mate, my other half.

We went to Bella's funeral but didn't make ourselves known because we didn't want to cause a scene when everybody should be thinking about Bella. Jacob Black, the dog, saw us though, and showed me what Bella was like while I was gone. She was empty, a shell of her former self, and when Jacob showed me that Bella would practically hold herself together whenever my name was spoken, I felt the same amount of hatred towards myself. Halfway through the funeral I had to leave because of the pain I felt in my chest and because of all of the grieving thoughts swirling around me. But mostly because I couldn't take all of the thoughts of how Bella closed herself off to the world after I left her.

Today Alice got some calls on her cell phone from an unknown number but the caller didn't speak to Alice or make any sounds to show that they were still there. Alice was a little freaked out but didn't tell anyone and made me promise not to tell anyone because she was scared we'd laugh at her.

I now know what it's like to lose your other half, and know that I will be living with it for the rest of my existence. I just hope that someday someone will ease my suffering and kill me, to let me go and be with my Bella.

**BPOV – 50 years after her fake death**

"Hey, Dillon! Would you close up the store for me? I'm gonna go home early." I shout out to Dillon, who's in the back of the shop.

"Yeah, I can do that Bella." Dillon replies before I turn exit my own book store.

That's right, my own book store. I've wanted to open one up since I found out my love for books, and I finally can. I have all of the classics: _Dracula_, _Wuthering Heights_, _Count of Monte Cristo_ and more than I care to name right now.

As I'm walking home, I think about all of the different places I've seen in the last 50 years. I've lived in Italy, Germany, England, Sweden, Norway, Russia, and Canada. I even lived in Alaska for a little while but not for long because it reminded me of the Denali's which reminded me of the Cullen's. I lived in each city for about 4 years, long enough for me to finish high school and start college.

The first couple of years were hard because I didn't have much money, but then it started to get easier because I wasn't eating or growing older. What helped a lot was having at least one part-time job or sometimes two, to help bring in more money. All I did for the first ten years was go to school, go to my job then go home and I would go hunting every three or four days.

Right now I'm living in Seattle because I heard that Charlie had died a couple of months ago and I wanted to go to his funeral.

_*Flashback*_

_I have just arrived to Charlie's memorial service, and it seemed that he just wanted it to be a gathering of friends at our old house. The sun isn't out and it isn't raining so it is actually the perfect day for Charlie's memorial service._

_Before I step out of the car I make sure that my sunglasses and my itchy wig are on. As I am getting out of my new 2060 Koenigsegg CCXR, this tall guy stepped directly into my path and I ran into him. _

"_Oh, I'm sorry," The guy says while gripping my arms to make sure that I didn't fall._

"_It's alright, I didn't see where I was going," I reply and then I look up to meet the guy's eyes. His eyes are the same brown as I remember and I inwardly smile at all the good times I had with Jacob. I stop myself from throwing myself into his arms but only by a bit. Then he scent wafts to my nose and I have to bite my lip to stop myself from cringing at the horrible smell._

"_Um… do I know you?" Jake asks me with a confused look on his face._

_Oh no, I look almost like my old self and the old Bella is supposedly dead. I decide to come up a fake relation to Charlie before Jake figures out that I'm Bella. "No, you don't know me but I'm Violet, one of Charlie's nieces. And you must be Jacob, right? Charlie spoke of both you and your father."_

_Jake's eyes widen slightly and I think for one second that he must have realized who I am. But then I realize that Jake had realized that I was a vampire because the wind shifted and blew my scent towards him. Jake's eyes then narrowed slightly and look me over, as if to find if I had any weapons on me._

"_Well it was nice to meet you Violet but now I have to go and speak to my wife." Jake replied and was about to leave but I spoke again._

"_You have a wife? Charlie never spoke of that. What's her name?" I asked while inside I was dancing with joy that Jake had finally found someone to marry. _

"_Her name is Chloe, and we've been together for forty years now." Jake says._

"_Well congratulations but now I have to go." I finish and walk away from him and into my old house. _

_My house looks almost the exactly the same just more modern and there are more pictures of me. I turn away from one of the pictures of me and Charlie together and head upstairs to my old room. When I reach my old room, I almost don't go in but then I realize that it's been fifty years so there's probably nothing in there. I slowly open my door and step into my room. I'm shocked speechless. Charlie kept my room exactly as I left it but there's a thick layer of dust coating everything._

_I slowly backed out of my room and make my way back down stairs. I can hear Billy and Jake talking about what they should do with a vampire in the house. Jake actually boasts that he can take any vampire because of his experience and knowledge. Ha. Jake never told me that he was a werewolf, or actually shape shifter, when he was human._

_I actually figured it out about 20 years earlier when I came across another pack of wolves near the border of Mexico. They didn't try to kill me but we have come to an …agreement that I may pass through their land but I am not allowed to eat any animals. Maybe I should tell Jake that I'm still alive so that we could still be friends, and that I know his secret. No, I didn't fake my death just to tell Jake that I'm still alive and ruin everything; I'll just let them think that I was just a random vampire coming into town._

_I walk into the living room where all of Charlie's friends are and made my way to a picture of Charlie right beside the TV. I now regret that I never told Charlie how thankful I am that he let me live with him for a short while, or how I never told him that he was the best father that I had. I can feel venom pooling in my eyes as tears that will never again be shed and I have to close my eyes and take deep breathes of air that I no longer need, to keep my façade. _

_I turn away from the picture and out of the corner of my eye I can see Jake and Billy talking about me still. I wonder if they are really that stupid or arrogant to think that a vampire will not listen in on their conversation. I'm leaning toward the idea of them being both stupid and arrogant so I stalk up to them and plant my feet about three feet from where they are standing. _

"_Hey Billy, long time, no see, yeah? I see the years have been good to you, and I see your son has grown into a respectable man." I say with a confidence that I didn't think that I would be able to possess. _

_Billy glances at me with mistrust very clear in his eyes and replies, "I'm taking it that we've met before so then you must know of the treaty we have established."_

"_Oh, Billy when have you become so formal?" I say with a slight laugh to ease the tense atmosphere. "Yes I am quite aware of that fact and I would like to tell you that this is the only time that I will be on your lands, unless invited because I would like to say goodbye to my da-dear uncle." I finish and I hope that they don't notice my slight slip up over the fact that I almost called Charlie dad._

"_Now, I must be going but before I go I hope that you both will stay healthy." I then turn my back on them and head out of the house that I called my home for the last year of my human life, then get into my car._

_*Flashback Ended* _

While I muse over the memory I realize that I am not the Bella that I once used to be. I am no longer the shy, awkward person I used to be; now I'm confident in myself and can save myself from other threats.

I reach my apartment building and head up to my place. I don't have that much furniture because I know that I will be moving in a short while so why should I be lugging furniture around the world with me. I can just buy the bare necessities that I need and just take the things that I absolutely need, around the world with me. I have a nice kitchen, but it's only so that visitors won't think that I don't eat. My living room is bare except for the TV, couch, and table; my room is just as bare with only the bed, and the closet.

I have made a couple of friends here in Seattle, like Dillon from my bookstore. Dillon is almost like Mike Newton from when I was human, they are both clingy and annoying but they can be good friends. Dillon has chocolate brown colored hair with mud-colored eyes. Then there's my neighbor, Olivia, she's like a best friend and has always got my back for me. She's fun, funny and can always capture a guy's interest in her with her strange vibrant blue eyes. Her blue eyes go great with her shoulder length blonde hair, and a fashion style that can rival even Alice's.

I am very happy that I've gotten over Edward in the past few years. Okay, maybe not gotten over but now I can think his name without feeling like my heart has been ripped out from my chest with someone's bare hands. Now all I feel is a brief but strong flash of hate mixed in with a little bit of grief. It's taken me longer to get over most of the grief for him than with the rest of the family but that was still hard to, but I've accepted that they are now living their undead lives.

I still often wonder if Alice saw the vision of me crashing Mrs. Morgan's car, but then I think that they probably saw the news because even though Forks is a small town, the crashes still get put on TV. I'm never sure if Alice did see me crash because my power of keeping Edward from reading my mind has grown to keep out all powers that have to do with affecting me, so I'm basically invisible to all of the vampires with powers. I know this because about thirty years ago, I crossed a town where the Cullen's had just lived in and found got Alice's phone number from one of the girls that was in the fashion extracurricular with her. I called Alice from a pay phone near the town's mall and when she answered, I didn't speak or say anything to indicate that it was me. She got tired of just listening to phone call with nobody answering so she hung up, but a couple days later I called again and did the same thing but this time she got mad at me and told me to leave her alone, even though she didn't know that it was actually me.

I still keep her number in my phone just in case that I need to call them to ask for help but that's just my weak reasoning. I actually just like having this one slim chance at conversation with them, even though I know that I might not even be able to talk to them at all, I'll just keep silent.

I walk over to my wallet, grab the slim piece of paper from the zippered pocket and stare down at it for what seems like hours but is actually only minutes. I should just throw it out, cut myself off from them completely and live my new life in the somewhat peace that I have but I don't. I don't because I like having this simple connection to them, even if they don't know it, and the fact that it gives me a sense of security. Just because Edward left and they think that I'm dead, they will help me if I ask them to, right? They can't be that cold to not help me and even if they do help me they'll just help for the amount of time that I need, and then I'll be gone, like I never came back.

**AN: I would like to thank Klaus-is-epic, again, for being my beta. So go and check out her story: My short version of silence.**

**More reviews = happy writer, happy writer = faster updates, faster updates = more chapters, more chapters = more reviews. So you see how the cycle goes? **

**This is my longest chapter ever, yeah! And if Bella is a bit OOC, she should be because she's trying to be strong even though the Cullen's left her.**

**Review!**

**-Darkest Original**


	4. Powerful

AN: I'm sorry it took so long to write and post, I had exams. Thank gosh they're over! A HUGE THANK YOU to anyone who reviewed my previous chapters, or if you added me to your alerts/favorites. They make me smile and want to finish writing faster. Thank you to Klaus-is-epic for being my beta, she is awesome so go and check out her story 'My version of Silence.'

**I'm re-writing this story. Thank you to a reviewers who noticed this chapter wasn't here before. I had accidently deleted the story so i had to repost all the other chapters but this chapter still wasn't going up. Let's hope it worked this time. **

**If this happens again, please tell me and i will try to fix it. Thank you.**

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

**Ch.4 – Powerful**

* * *

><p>I was sitting in my apartment, thinking about whether or not to go to University today, when somebody knocked at my door.<p>

I slowly get up from my seat because I know that I didn't invite anyone over, and the scent from the other side of the door wasn't familiar. I slowly creep to my door, trying to be as silent as possible, before looking through the peephole near the top of the door. I can't see anyone from my view point so that either means that the person on the other side of the door is really short, or they are hiding on one side of the door.

I am about to open my door when my phone rings. I quickly look back and forth between my phone and the door, trying to decide which to answer first. I open the door and step out of the doorway to look down the short hallway.

Nobody is standing in the hallway and with my hearing I can't hear any human walking down the staircase that is to my right. I brush off the encounter as either a prank by some kids or a nomad vampire walking around town, smelling my scent and coming to meet me. But if it was a nomad vampire, they would have stayed until I opened the door instead of just leaving right away. Unless the nomad thought that they shouldn't talk to me because I might be stronger than they are or have a secret power.

The only power I've seemed to have gotten was that if anybody was using their powers to affect me in some way, it wouldn't work. Like if Alice tries to read my future, she won't be able to see me and just think that I'm dead. Or if Demetri tries to find me, he won't be able to because of my extreme shield.

I kinda wanted a better power than that, like shooting fire from my hands or changing from myself to look like someone else. That would have been more useful, but my 'extreme shield'-as I call it- is pretty useful and helps me get out of situations.

I am brought out of my thoughts by a shrill ringing sounding throughout my tiny apartment. I ran with my vampire speed over to the phone, pick it up and speak in a calm sounding voice-something that I felt anything but.

"Hello?" I wait for a couple of seconds for a reply that doesn't come.

"Heelloooo?" I stretch the word out hoping to get so kind of response but then the person on the other side of the line hangs up.

"Uh." I get that it's been 50 years since I was a human but still can't people say 'Sorry, wrong number' before hanging up and making the person on the other end of the line confused.

Whatever, I might as well go to school; I have nothing else to do today.

I get out of my car after a long day of boring school and head towards me book store. Dillon is out of school and is always working at the book store, getting extra money before he opens up his own business.

I walk into the store just as some else comes out of it. I bump into them and afraid that they might fall over, I grab their bare arms. A shock runs through me and settles in my hands, I try to shake my hands to make them stop tingling without the guy that I ran into noticing.

"Oops, I'm so sorry. Are you alright?" I ask and then raise my eyes to meet his.

His eyes are a shocking orange color, the kind that only happens when you have red eyes and bright yellow contacts_. Vampire._ And not a vegetarian vampire either.

I take a quick step back and finish looking at the guy. He is obviously well-built but not too much, and he is very tall. His brown hair is short, straight and frames his chiseled face nicely.

"No, it's my fault, I wasn't looking up." He says, and then looks down to see that I am still shaking my hands out. His eyes widen in what looks like…realization? I quickly dismiss the thought and immediately stop what I'm doing and slowly move to the door sot that he can't get into the store unless he goes through a window or me.

"Neither was I. Well… my name is Bella. And yours is?"

"Elijah."

"That's a nice name, I would like to finish this conversation with you but I need to get to work, so do you want to meet up at _Palomino_ tonight at seven?" I finish, I really want to talk to him and figure out what business he has here. Also I would just like another vampire to talk to. I know that sounds childish but after a while of talking to humans; you like to talk to vampires that have had all of these different experiences.

"Sure." Elijah replies, his eyes narrow in slight suspicion but then he leaves to go to wherever he was going before I spoke to him.

I sigh a quiet sigh of relief that he didn't ask me why I want to talk to him later today before heading into 'Bella's Books'.

Dillon is sitting at the desk reading one of his horror novels with his feet propped up on a nearby stool.

"Hey Dillon, was it busy today?" I ask, and I guess that Dillon didn't hear me come in because he turned around much too quickly and fell off his chair.

I try to suppress a giggle but I must fail miserably because of the look that Dillon gave me.

"Actually no, it wasn't that busy today; the only customer so far was that guy that just left the store." Dillon replies while standing up and brushing himself off.

"Ah, so did you do inventory yet?" I ask, knowing that he didn't because he hates that part of the job.

"No, not yet, I was going to ten minutes ago but then that guy came into the store and asked for that book of prophecies on fictional creatures."

My eyebrows rise slightly at this fact but I shake it off and tell Dillon that I'm going to the back of the store to do inventory.

I walk past rows and rows of books, knowing each title of the books and the whole story too. Thank god for my perfect memory. It really helps with exams and other important things.

I grab the inventory list that is sitting on my desk in my office and go to the back room. The new shipment of books is stacked 3 boxes high and about 5 boxes across. I let my head fall back at the realization that I was going to have to do inventory at a human speed because Dillon is still here. Usually if I have to do any work at the shop I do it at vampire speed so it's finished faster.

I reach for the first box to open it when a small flame jumps from my fingers and lands on the cardboard box. I panic and hurry to try to put out the fire but when I reach for the box again a larger flame comes out of my hand.

"Dammit." I mumbled under my breath. I get up and run to the other side of the room, grab the fire extinguisher and rush back to the fire.

I got the fire out, and put some of the not-burned books on a nearby desk, while the charred remains of the box and the other books were stuffed into a metal waste basket.

I slowly walk away from the waste basket all the while starring at my hand incredulously. How could this happen? I already have a power of my own, and vampires don't get more than one power, unless my 'Extreme Shield' was the characteristic that I brought over from my human life. But that's unlikely because Alice could see my future when I was human and now she can't but then again my shield could have magnified when I turned into a vampire.

Okay this wondering isn't getting me anywhere; it's just going to make me even more confused. Why don't I just go over what happened today and see if anything was really different that could have caused this.

One - the phone started ringing at the same time someone knocked on my door.

Two - I answered the second phone call but the person on the other end hung up on me.

Three - went to university and came back to the store.

Four – ran into Elijah and a tingling settles in my hands

Five- Wait… that was something way different that happened today. I mean I see other nomads every once in a while, but I don't actually ever touch their skin. I'll have to track the nomad and ask him if he knows anything about what I did. Especially if that look of realization that crossed his face was any indicator that he knew what I did.

What did the tingling sensation mean? A dozen more questions run through my mind but I stopped at one that stuck out the most to me: Can I control the fire?

The first few tries I have to admit, failed terribly. The fire would either wither and die or would explode and start something on fire. But after the first tries, my focus strengthened and my concentration grew. I focused only one of my pointer fingers and imagined a burst of flame coming from the tip of the finger. The flame leapt and twisted but still stayed alive, I focused on making the flame reach higher for the ceiling, and it obeyed. As I was doing this I felt a slight exhaustion come over me, not physically because I can't get tired, but mentally, like I needed to rest my brain for a minute.

Soon I have control over where I want the fire to go and if it came from my entire hand or just a finger, but what I have figured out is that the more fire I used the more drained I become. I was going to continue my practice but I heard Dillon's footsteps make their way slowly towards where I was supposed to be working.

He opened the door and poked his head in before saying, "Hey. I guess you didn't finish inventory, oh well, I'll do it tomorrow when you're at school."

"Thank you Dillon, I guess I got slightly distracted." I raise a hand to my head and brush back the piece of hair that had fallen into my face. "Actually you can go home, I'll just finish up inventory and then lock up."

Dillon's eyes brighten at that fact, and I think it is quite predictable that even though he wants to own his own store, he doesn't want to do the inventory that comes with owning your own store. He quickly said thanks and shuts the door behind him before walking to the front of the shop, grabbing his keys and leaving the store.

I breathe a sigh of relief that Dillon is finally gone and I don't have to pretend that I am human anymore. I finish the inventory at quarter to six and am about to leave the back room when my eyes land on the charred remains of the cardboard box in the waste basket.

I really should get rid of them before someone notices, I thought before raising my hand and lighting the rest of the box on fire. When the fire had completely consumed the box, I imagined the fire disappearing in a blink of an eye and it obeyed. That's so cool that I'm able to control the fire, and I only got this power today.

With that thought my mind wandered to Elijah. If I got this power after I touched him then he must have this power too, and he could answer my questions about what I can now do. And what did the look of realization that crossed his face when I shook my hands mean?

Well, I can't just stand in this back room and keep asking myself questions that I don't know the answer too; the only way I'll get answers is to ask Elijah myself. I walk out of the store barely acknowledging the fact that I remembered to lock the door, even with my brain a thousand miles away.

I pick up Elijah's faint scent of a fresh spring rain and pine trees head toward the _Palomino._

I am just walking down the block from the restaurant when I decide to look down at my watch. Shit! It is almost 7 o'clock and I don't want to be late so I start jogging at a human pace to the entrance of the restaurant.

I arrive at the front door and told the guy behind the counter that I am supposed to meet someone named Elijah. They told me that Elijah was waiting for me at one of the private booths in the back of the restaurant.

When I arrive at the booth, Elijah looks relaxed but if you look close enough you can tell that he was anything but. "Hello." I greeted, hoping that he will stay and answer some of my questions instead of leaving me confused.

"Hello, Bella," He said, brought one arm from where it was resting on his leg to lay it on the table.

"I have some questions that I think you will be able to answer." I say while sliding into my side of the booth.

"I'm sure you do but I must tell you something. The only way that you'll get my help in anything you need, is that you'll have to do me a favor in return, it's the only way to keep things fair." Elijah says with an arrogant smirk on his face.

"Why would I have to do you any favors?" I ask with a sinking feeling in my gut.

"Well I pegged you for the type of person that cares for other people's well-being, like Dillon and your neighbor. Now you won't want anything to happen to them, would you?

My eyes widen a fraction at what he just said and I slowly shake my head to answer his question.

"Now that that's out of the way, you can either ask you questions or you can ask what the favor will be. If it were my choice, I would actually ask about the favor first." Elijah continued and while he was talking he slowly leans forward.

"Fine, what is the favor?" I hiss out at him because ever since I've been changed I don't like other people trying to control my actions. I had come to the conclusion that Edward tried to keep me safe so much that he controlled my every action and I never want to be like that again.

"Have you heard about the recent killings along the northern end of town?" My eyes narrow in suspicion but I still nod my head to answer. "The killings have all been moving from the north side of town to the south side, and I believe that it is the work of a vampire and not serial killers like the authorities believe. I-"

"I got it already, I've seen the news. Now what does this have to do with the favor?" I interrupt; Elijah then gives me a dirty look and continues.

"I came here for one purpose, to find out who is killing humans and to stop them. But this job will be much easier if I had someone that knows who the vampire is and their escape patterns." Elijahsays, with a cryptic look in his eyes.

So this is the favor he's asking for. It's not that bad, I mean I'll help him find the vampire and hold him/her while Elijah kills him/her but first he'll answer my questions. Sounds fair. Suddenly a concern pops into my head about the last sentence Elijah said.

"Wait... how could I know who the vampire is? I mean the only vampires I knew were Laurent – he's dead, James - he's dead and…" I trail off and tear my gaze from Elijah's when I come to the realization that it must be Victoria that he is after. I bring my gaze back to Elijah, pleading with my eyes that what I now know is not true.

"Yes, Victoria is the one that I'm after. It seems that she doesn't know that you have become a vampire. She thinks that you are now an old lady and that you will be much easier to kill, Victoria even thinks that the Cullen's are still with you."

"How do you know about my past?" I ask angrily.

"I will answer that later, if you take this favor. Now will you do me this favor?" Elijah finishes and I automatically know my answer.

"Yes, I will help you." I reply. I then take a quick look around and ask my first question that he will have to answer. "Why aren't any waitresses bothering us?"

"I asked them to let us talk, they won't bother us." He replies quickly.

"Okay, um… start from the beginning. From why you were given this 'job' to now, and you better not leave anything out because I have a right to know what you know about me." I reply and I am thankful that my voice comes out strong and confident.

Elijah raised his eyebrows at me but then began his story, "Well I was given this job because Victoria is making a mess and I have to take care of that. The only way to do that is well on my own or with help from the one person that Victoria is trying to kill.

"I came to Seattle looking for you and was hoping to find you at your store but unfortunately I found your disgusting smelling worker." He pauses and makes a face at remembering the smell before continuing, "but then again I am thankful that you weren't there because then you'd be suspicious if I bought this." Elijah finishes and then brings out the 'Prophecies of Fictional Creatures' and sets it on the table.

The book is a huge and heavy book because it has the prophecies on all of the fictional creatures that have ever lived. It has a faded red cover with black trim along the sides.

"Why would I be? This book is totally fake; I just bought it to entertain me when there's nothing else to do." I reply with a confused look on my face.

"This book is not fake, the facts about the fictional creatures are fake but the prophecies are not." Elijah says.

"Now where was that prophecy," Elijah mumbles under his breath before finding the page he's looking for. "Here we are it says her that 'A danger to one city will be no more by an old victim.' Now how can _that _be fake?"

"Well-" I am cut off by Elijah.

"Doesn't matter; just believe that it is real, okay? Now, I finished my story, so you can ask questions."

"What was the tingling feeling in my hands when I touched you?" I ask getting straight to the point.

"Ah, straight to the point I see. Well that was you absorbing my powers, actually not really absorbing them because I still have them. Actually you took a very small piece of my powers and placed it in yourself and every time you use that power it gets stronger and you don't lose as much energy." Elijah says with a smug smile on his face.

I clench my teeth together to keep from saying something that I will regret before saying, "How do you know so much about my powers?"

"I met someone that had similar powers to you many millennia ago."

"Well, are they still alive? Can I speak to them?" I ask suddenly hopeful.

"No to both questions. "

"Well how did they die because I don't want to do the same mistakes." I reply, getting mad at his one sentence answers.

"Trevor was his name, and he died because when he realized that he had a similar power to yours, he announced to the world that he was the most powerful. Then the Volturi killed him because they didn't want someone to oppose them."

"Okay then, so how was his power only similar to mine and not the same?" I ask with a sinking feeling in my gut.

Elijah smirks at me, like he knows that what he's gonna say will change my life. "Trevor's power had a limit to how many he could absorb in his lifetime. With you, you do not have a limit."

AN: I'm sorry that there's not much excitement in this chapter but there will be more in the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own _Palomino, _I just needed a restaurant in Seattle to use.

I have an idea: for me to put in either a name or a saying in each chapter and then when you guys read it, you must find the quote/name. If you find the quote/name then you get a preview for the next chapter, ok? So this chapter's question is: which two character names did I use from a TV show?


	5. Victoria

Ch.5 - Victoria

"What do you mean I don't have a limit?" I ask incredulously. I swear I thought that my eyes popped out of my head for a second.

"I mean you can absorb as many powers as you would like and the person you took your power from will never know what happened." Elijah says before looking around the restaurant and seeing that we are the only people left.

"Well, I have to go but it was nice meeting you." Elijah says while getting up from his seat and walking towards the front door.

"Wait!" I run up to Elijah at a human speed because there are still some workers walking around. "Um… how can I talk to you if I have any more questions?" I ask feeling ridiculous and like I did when I was in high school and asking a guy for his number.

"Call this number." Elijah says and gives me a phone number before turning around again and striding out into the cool night air.

"Okay then," I mumble under my breath before also leaving the restaurant.

I almost start looking for my car before realizing that I ran here, instead of driving.

The night is dull as always and I am slightly glad that when morning comes, I'd have something to do. There are dark clouds on the horizon and from the looks of it; we are going to have rain in a couple of hours.

I really love rain - it's like the sky is crying. Also just the fact that after a rain it always smells fresh, that's what I love. When there's a huge crack of lightning, the air itself feels energized and alive. The closest thing that vampires can get to feeling alive.

*Line break*

I reach to grab my keys to unlock the door to my apartment but a flame pops out from my fingertips. Shit! I thought that I had that under control and that wouldn't happen anymore. I guess that you can't control a new power in under a day-you need to work at it. But the only way to work at it is to practice, and there's no space for me to practice my fire or other powers I'll get in the future. I can't practice at the shop because there's not enough room.

As I enter the apartment a sudden idea pops into my head and I muse over it. An arena. If I made a practice arena for me it'll have to be somewhere deep in the woods where no one can hear anything being blown up. Or on the out edge of town and just use noise canceling panels. Either way it'll have to be large enough to practice in and to hold training equipment because if I'm going to be fighting Victoria in the future then I'll need to know how to fight. I wonder if Elijah will teach me how to fight, I think as I walk over to my desk to grab a piece of paper and a pen to draw out my ideas for my practice area.

I sit down at my desk and bend over the paper, drawing out a slight oval shaped object on the paper with dome shaped roof and only one window, a skylight.

I finish my drawing in minutes due to my vampire speed. I get up, grab my keys, walk to my car and speed to the hardware store. Since it is already 9:45 and the store closes at 10, there is only one other person in the store.

After I bought all of the things I need, I realize that I won't be able to take the long pieces of wood to my practice area in my tiny car. I quickly looked around to see if anyone was out and about, there wasn't but I still need to check just in case there is somebody out.

I speed to a huge open area in the woods about 15 miles from the city; it is a nice open area with huge trees and bright white flowers dotting the grass. The trees are very tall and provide good cover on the rare sunny days in Seattle, even though there are few. The moon gives off a soft spotlight and lights up the clearing nicely.

I had to make a couple of trips from the store before I had all of the materials in the clearing around me before I got to work. It took a couple of hours to build, but with my vampire speed I am finished way before a human could have been.

Then I walk inside the gymnasium to place the noise cancelling panels on the walls and most of the ceiling. I open the skylight a bit to let in the dying rays of the moon and then lock up before running to my car.

The drive back to my apartment is silent, like it always is, but now I enjoy it. However, all too soon it is over and I have to go and order some stuff online.

As the sun is finally breaking over the horizon, I finish my last order and just sit here thinking. I wonder how Jake is. And what he's doing. Is he still fixing cars in his spare time? Or does he have too much work to do with the pack? Does he have a kid? And if so, is it a boy or a girl? I should've asked him at the funeral, but he looked really pissed that a nomad was on their land.

What about my powers? How am I able to keep unlimited powers? Unless there is a limit and Elijah just doesn't know. But it seemed like he knew a lot about this. What if he's keeping something about my powers from me? What about the deal? Will he just leave after Victoria is dead? But why would he stay? And why do I care?

Looking up at the clock, I realize that I've been in my thoughts for a long time because it is already 11 o'clock. Getting up from my seat, I glanced out the window only to sit back down. The sun was out and shinning strongly.

"Ugh," I groan. Now I have to stay inside all day and do nothing. Unless I go out to my arena and get some practice in. Before I even finish the thought, I am out the door and running at top speed towards the clearing outside of the city.

The clearing looked the same as it did this morning only without the moon light streaming down. The sun rays couldn't quite reach me from where I was standing along the tree line. I stepped out and was shocked speechless at the image of _my_ skin glittering like diamonds.

The light bounces from my skin while I go and open up the fire zone.

The fire zone shaped like a long hallway. It is connected to the rest of the arena through another small hallway so when you look at the arena from above it looks like 'LO'. Inside the walls, ceilings, and floors are made out of titanium so that they won't melt as easily.

I stand at one end of the long hallway and focus on the medium sized target on the other side of the room. Pulling my arm back, I can see out of the corner of my eye that my entire hand is on fire and resting in the palm of my hand is a fireball. I let the fireball lose and watch as it doesn't even get close to the target.

"Shit," I mumble before trying it again. I'm not proud to say that the next try were horrible, but not as horrible as the first try. But eventually I got the hang of it and now have pretty good accuracy.

I walk over to the center of the hallway and sit. I mean, I kinda have this awesome power and all this room to practice it but nothing to test my limits. Do I have a limit? I mean, in TV shows the hero always has a limit and usually there are consequences if you go past your limit.

Yesterday I felt tired after practicing so much with my new powers so maybe that's it? I get tired when practicing with new powers? That's not flippin much, I can live with that.

As my irritation rises, I notice that my skin starts to warm but that's impossible, my skin can't feel warm, I'm a ice cold vampire. But my skin temperature keeps rising, past normal human temperature and into the hot werewolf zone and at this time I know that something is really wrong.

I jump to my feet and look down at my hands. My hands are a faint pink color, like when I used to blush. My mind keeps screaming at me that this is not possible but my eyes are seeing and believing what shouldn't be possible.

But then my skin starts to go back to its pale as death tone. I'm still looking at my hands incredulously when I realize that it has turned dark out now.

I quickly turn and head out the door, barely remembering to lock the door behind me.

*Line Break*

I pull up in front of the shop and walk right in without having to unlock the door. I guess Dillon forgot to lock the door; I'll have to talk to him about that.

But when I step foot in the shop, I freeze in spot.

All of the book shelves are overturned and spilling their contents onto the floor underneath them. The coffee machine on the little table on the right side of the shop is torn in half and the table overturned.

The only way that my coffee machine could be literally ripped in half, is by a vampire. But why would a nomad vampire do this? I look at the front desk and it is in small chunks lying all over the shop. The computer is flipped over and little pieces of it are lying on the ground.

Paperwork is all around the room and it looks as if someone came in, grabbed the pile and threw it. But why would someone do that? Is there something important in them?

I walk farther into the store and begin to pull out my cell phone to call the police when I smell _it_. It smells like a burning fire that no one was going to put out. But there isn't any sound like a fire burning.

I crouch down slightly and follow the smell to the far back of the shop. It gets stronger back here then it just disappears. What the hell?

I come out of my crouch and begin to walk back to the front of the shop to see if there is another trail. But before I made it to the front of the shop, there is a hauntingly familiar giggle. A high-pitched, child-like giggle, coming from the back of the shop, where I had just been seconds before.

I am frozen in spot, and the only thing running through my mind is that _she_ really did come back for me.

Victoria.

Why, why, why? Why me? And why didn't she come and get me before I was a vampire? Oh yeah, Laurent came to see if the Cullen's were still with me but instead he turned me.

I slowly turned to face the back of the shop and am suddenly really grateful of the very tinted front windows; I don't want any humans to watch this. A flash of red crosses my peripheral vision and I spin around quickly, dropping my cell phone in the process.

There she is standing in front of me, looking slightly surprised that I am still young looking. Victoria's wild red hair frames her sharp facial features, and still looks like the first day that I saw her in the meadow where the Cullen's and I played baseball.

I crouch down slightly and say, "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I think you know Bella. Where are the Cullen's? Surely they wouldn't leave their family 'pet'." Victoria sneers over the word 'pet'.

"Wrong, they left about 50 years ago when I was still human. You would've had your chance to kill me for six months but you sent someone else to check if the Cullen's were with me. Did you know that Laurent turned me? That he got to taste my blood and that he felt sorrow for me at what you were going to do so he tried to kill me? Did you think that the Cullen's killed him, and that's why you didn't come to kill me for 50 years?" I finish my rant, hoping to get her a little too angry so that she can't focus on the fight as much and will make obvious mistakes.

Victoria starts to circle around me but I move with her, never letting her face my sides. "I thought that Laurent did get killed by the Cullen's so I didn't come for you. I thought that in 50 years then you'd be a weak old human, and then I'd kill you when your family went on a hunting trip." Victoria stopped to giggle at that fact before continuing, "But when I saw that you were a vampire I thought that the Cullen's finally came to their senses and changed you. "

"Nope, they never were going too." I reply before launching myself at Victoria.

Victoria places both hands on my cloth covered stomach and flips me over her head. I twist in the air and land lightly on my feet before crouching down again. Victoria launches herself at me and I move to the right but Victoria is too fast. She shoves me closer to the front of the shop and I land heavily on an upturned desk chair.

A thought quickly ran across my mind and I realized that if I didn't get Elijah here right now then I'd die because I lack the experience to kill her. Right now Victoria is stalking towards where I lay, if I just wait a few more seconds then I can get to my phone. Victoria is now 3 feet from me and is talking to me but I block her out and dart around her for my phone.

I quickly pick it up, flip it open and quickly dial Elijah's number all the while running for the back door. The moment that I step outside Elijah answers, "Hello?"

"Elijah, get to the book store, now. Victoria is here and I don't know how much longer I can keep her off me." I hang up while still running farther and farther into the forest.

Victoria is about 4 feet behind me, and I realize that I'm faster than her. I jump up to the closest tree and launch myself in the direction that heads back to the store. I land lightly on the ground and stop about 20 feet in the forest behind the shop.

Turning slowly I see that Victoria has also stopped as well. Victoria launches herself at me, and I grab onto her bare wrist and feel the familiar tingle settling in my hands. I grip her wrist tightly and fling her into the nearest tree which breaks under the force.

Victoria begins to get up again but I start taunting her again, "Come on Vicki, is that the best you can do?"

"You won't be saying that when you're dead." Victoria manages to snarl out.

"Duh, because I'll be dead! Man you're dumb."

"Has little Bella discovered her hard side? Did Edward make you like this?" Victoria cooed at me, her voice sounding like nails on a chalkboard. I narrowed my eyes slightly at the obvious jab.

"Like Edward _tore _James' limbs off? Come on Vicki do what Edward did to James and destroy me!" I yell at her. That final sentence seemed to break any of the self control she had left because she lunged at me.

I snap a hand out, almost wishing it's going to stop her from moving. A trail of flame flows from my hands and surrounds Victoria, I gasp because I didn't think that would happened but I use the fire to my advantage. I make the flames leave both of my hands but then I grab a hold of them and use then like twin whips.

I bring back one arm and snap it out again when Victoria was going to dart to the right. I focus on Victoria's face; she looks completely terrified and defeated. Like she knows that there is no hope for her to live, but she keeps trying anyway.

I keep doing that for a couple of minutes before Elijah finally shows up. He looks at me curiously but I don't know why. I let the whips flow from my hands and let them surround Victoria before toning down the flames so that both Elijah and I can get through without dying.

Victoria's eyes widen when she takes in Elijah but he quickly dismembers her while I stop the fire that surrounded us and start another one a few feet away so that we can burn Victoria's remains.

Suddenly I started to sway and the corners of my vision are turning black. Elijah rushes to see what is wrong, his eyes widen in understanding and I use most of my concentration on understanding what he says, "Bella, let go of the fire, I got it. Just stop using your powers."

I try, I really do but I can't let go. It was like when I was human, and I was reading a book and I wanted to shut it but I was way too tired to let go then I fell asleep. But I can't fall asleep now in this body.

I try to tell Elijah that I can't let go, but no sound will come from my mouth. The darkness starts to engulf me. It keeps creeping up. I try to push it back, but I am just _so tired_. My vision starts to tunnel. I lock eyes with Elijah, hoping to convey all of my fear and desperation.

With that look, I collapse to the ground before giving up and letting the darkness win.


	6. Truths

Ch. 6 – Truths and Practice

When I first became aware of my surroundings, I could only hear someone breathing close by. Maybe a couple feet away but still close enough to keep an eye on me.

I counted the breaths to keep track of time before my other senses kicked in. And that was a while.

I could feel a bed underneath me and the smooth silk sheets against my bare arms. A few minutes later my eyes opened and peered into the darkness surrounding me. Even though the blinds were open, it was still dark as night outside so I'm guessing that I was out for at least 24 hours. I tried to figure out where I was, but the place was unfamiliar. I turned my head to the left to see who was breathing and saw Elijah slouching in a chair, staring off into space.

I took this moment to really look at Elijah. His dark hair parted closer over his right eye and his bangs lightly falling against his forehead. His sharp jaw line looks as if it was carefully crafted by some god. Dark, intense eyes stare out at you and seem as if they are always searching for the real meaning behind your words.

Elijah has a slight accent which I can't seem to place no matter how hard I try. I've been almost all over the world and I still can't place the origin of the accent so that must imply that it comes from before I was even a human.

And I don't know why but he always wears those stupid darkly colored suits. Those suits fit his personality perfectly, but they always give of the image that he just came from an important business meeting or is going to one.

I come out of my thoughts to see that Elijah has been smirking at me this entire time. If I was human then I would be blushing as red as a tomato.

"Yes?" He said still looking at me with that stupid smirk. I wish that I could just smack it off of his face, but that won't work. Damn.

"Um…so what happened, exactly?" I say hoping to get him to forget that that just happened while sitting up on the bed that I'm laying on.

"Do you want the short version or the long and more detailed version?" Elijah replies with his eyes sparkling with mischief.

"What do you think?"

"Well ok then, I'll start from where you called me."

Elijah looks thoughtful for a minute before continuing, "Hmm, I was doing… something when you called. When you said Victoria was there, I came to help. When I got there, you already had Victoria immobilized so all I had to do was kill her and then you collapsed."

"Got all that but thanks for your very detailed input. So why did I collapse?"

"And I should tell you this information because?" Elijah said while stretching the last word.

"Because I helped you kill Victoria, and we have a deal." I said before crossing my arms and giving him my best smirk.

"After today I'll be gone, and you never saw me. Are we clear?" Elijah said while leaning forward so that his elbows rested on his knees.

"Clear, so are you going to answer the question now?"

"You passed out because you used too much power at once." Elijah explained.

"Excuse me, but that doesn't make much sense."

Sighing he continued, "Whenever you get a new power the more you practice it, then more your body is able to take the after effects of using a lot of power. Sometimes the after effects can just be a headache, or as you experienced, a black out but you can also die from using too much power when you're not ready. All things have side effects you just have to look hard enough to find them."

I sat there for a couple of seconds, letting that information sink in before asking another question, "But how do I die if my body isn't torn to shreds?"

"You don't."

"Care to explain?"

"Your brain somewhat almost dies but since you aren't torn apart you get stuck in your body, kinda like a coma but you won't wake up from it."

My mouth drops open and I try to speak a couple of times but I probably just look like a gaping fish. What I finally manage to get out is, "I guess there are consequences to every power," but it is just a mumble.

Elijah smirks at me and then I gather my thoughts and give a dark smile. He looks worried for a moment before letting a mask of indifference slide over his face.

"Why did Victoria look like she was…scared of you?" I say, while watching his face for any sort of reaction, there's none.

"Because of who I work for."

"That's _a lot_ of help, but _who_ do you work for?" I say my voice heavy with the noticeable sarcasm.

Elijah stands up and walks over to a window that I didn't know was there before opening the blinds and looking out into the night.

"A very powerful person." He mumbles but by the tone of his voice, it's the end of the discussion.

"Fine." I snap before taking an unnecessary breathe, letting it out and voicing an idea of mine.

"Look, if you're going to be gone by tonight can you teach me all that you know about your gift so I don't collapse again?" I say then stand up and walk over to him. I lean on my side against the wall and try to take in his expression, but there are too many emotions flashing across his face.

"Fine."

"Fine?" I say shocked that he actually agreed.

"Yes, do you not know the word?" He replied and if I was human, I would have once again been as red as a tomato.

Elijah starts walking for the door and I follow muttering 'jerk' so quiet that he couldn't hear me.

"Wait, where are we?" I ask, because I do not know where we are at all.

"A small hotel on the other side of the city, do yo-"I interrupt him before he continues.

"This is not a small hotel, this is a huge hotel." I exclaim while cutting him off.

"Anyways, do you want to go back to your place to talk or somewhere else?" Elijah says while still walking around this massive hotel.

There were huge pillars placed around the room and the lobby was shaped like a huge octagon. On each side there was at least on couch, one chair, a TV, a gold colored floor lamp and two pillars. There was a circular skylight, about 25 feet above where we were standing in the middle of the lobby.

Elijah kept walking, not pausing once to take in the beauty of the lobby.

I've learned that in my 50 years of life that you can't take things for granted. Like 50 years ago, I thought that Edward was always going to be there but then he left. Then Jacob left me but now I know that he had a reason, a stupid reason but a reason none the less.

Everything ends eventually; I just wish that I would have learned this before Edward left. Then maybe I wouldn't have gotten so hooked on him and I would have been able to survive him leaving a bit more. But the past is the past and no matter how much I wish, I can't change it.

Elijah needs to stop and smell the roses, literally. Because in two thousand years, there might not be roses anymore, you never know.

We keep walking, never once stopping until we're in the woods behind the beautiful hotel. Then Elijah starts running at top speed towards my apartment.

I followed right after and soon out ran him. I could hear his light footsteps pattering about three feet behind me and I was again shocked that I was faster than he was. I thought that when I was turned, I was just average speed but now I can see that I'm pretty darn fast.

I lead him over a trickling river and past a log cabin before we actually get to the practice area.

I slow down slightly so that Elijah is running beside me and quickly get me set of keys out of the pocket in my black skinny jeans.

I run into the middle of the fire zone and stand in the middle, waiting for Elijah to catch up.

"Nice place you have here, did you build it yourself?" His voice got to me before I saw him and I jumped slightly in surprise.

"Um, thanks and yeah I did build it myself." I say while looking down. The floor has suddenly become very interesting.

"It's a good idea, somewhere to practice while out of sight and no one to watch."His voice kept getting quieter the more he spoke. I wonder if he knows that he spoke aloud. It was quiet for a while before I decided to reply.

"That's kinda what I was going for." I spoke and he jumped from the sudden noise.

"So, you wanted to know what you could do with your power?" The question was clearly rhetorical, but I still nodded my answer anyways.

"Well, as you realized, you can make the fire bend into any object that you desire, like the whips you used yesterday. But what you must understand is that even though you can make the fire come out at any time, it isn't as strong as it is when you get angry. Your emotions have a big effect on your powers; different powers are stronger with different emotions. Like fire with anger.

"The more you can control your emotions, the more control you have over your powers and then the less side effects can happen to you. I think that's it, so any questions?" I froze, how can he just talk about this so calmly?

I mentally shake of the stupor that I was in and voiced a concern. "Yesterday, I was irritated at something and my skin temperature rose. Why did that happen?"

"Ah, that has been very useful in the time that I've been around. " He trailed off and looked like he got stuck in an old memory.

He shook his head and continued, "The more irritation you get, the more your temperature rises. A little irritation can make your skin have the same heat as a human's but a lot of irritation soon turns to rage."

I interrupt him before he continues, "What's the difference between the irritation and the anger?"

"The anger actually makes fire but the irritation just makes your body temperature rise. Anyway, a lot of irritation makes rage and you don't want rage." He finished and was about to walk away but I grabbed his arm and dragged him back.

"Why don't I want that?" I ask my eyebrow scrunched together in thought.

Elijah sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose before continuing, "The rage will make fire come out from your body in every direction, making you look like a huge fireball. This can be useful in getting rid of enemies but if you lose control of yourself then the fire with just keep rising in intensity and heat until it can set fire to big sections of land. This has only happened once but it was very bad, and the vampire had to be destroyed because she didn't have control."

He paused for a moment and looked away in thought, "And if you have dozens of different powers? I don't even know what would happen."

What would happen? If he doesn't know what would happen then that must be bad. _Or it could just mean that he doesn't know because Trevor didn't have the amount of power that you can have._

_Shut up._ I thought back to the annoying voice in my head.

"Well how about we practice fighting?" I ask.

"Sure, you'll probably need it." Elijah said then he walked to the middle of the room and then turned back to look at me.

He only gave a small evil smirk before attacking.

He lunged at me and made it very obvious that he was going to try to pull of my head. I stepped to the side at the last moment, grabbed one of his arms and pulled up and back, efficiently flipping him onto his back. His breath wheezed out when he landed with a thud and in a millisecond, I was on top of him. Both hands around his throat and ready to pull his head off.

"Seriously? You're gonna try pre-school fighting?" I asked slightly offended.

I got up and gave him a hand to help pull him to his feet. When he was up he stretched his back out and said, "I didn't know how much training you had."

"My dad was a cop; he had me take lessons to keep myself safe." I replied and my thoughts went to the all of the times that Charlie took me to fighting lessons over the summer.

"Now are we gonna all-out fight or stand around having a tee party?" I asked with a smirk on my face. Elijah's face hardened into a fierce scowl before his fist snapped out to connect with my face.

My eyes widened and I tried to move out of the way, but I was too late and my body was thrown with the force of the punch into a nearby wall. I landed with a thud on my side, my breath whooshing out of me, and I quickly got to my feet. My crest rumbled and a vicious snarl escaped past my teeth and sounded through the air.

Elijah looked shocked for a second and took a half step back but what I was really focusing on was the look that was in his eyes. For a second, it looked like he was terrified of…me and then a look of realization came over his face.

I shook of my thoughts and decided to question him later but for right now, we had a fight to finish. With my hands lose and relaxed, my knees slightly bent, I launched myself toward him and kicked out my right foot. It connected with his shoulder with the sound of two boulders smashing together. Elijah was thrown only 10 feet because I didn't use enough power behind the kick. But it was still enough space to give me enough time to figure out what to do next.

One minute I see Elijah getting up and the next, his fist is flying at my face. I let out a squeak but grab his wrist with my left hand. He tries to twist his wrist and then pull out of my grip but fails miserably. His left hand darts towards my right knee and I'm too slow to block the move. His hand wraps around my knee and suddenly, I'm upside down and my arm is straining to keep the grip on his wrist.

I reluctantly let go of his wrist and pretend to be giving up but I just wait until his grip loosens just a bit. As soon as it does, I punch up toward his face and Elijah drops me suddenly. I twist my body so that I don't land on my head but on my back instead.

I have barely a second to realize that Elijah hasn't moved from where he was before I'm suddenly against the closest wall with a hand around my throat.

I'm about to say 'You win' but I stop at the intense look in his eyes. I see a battle raging in his eyes but I'm not sure what it's about. I watch the emotions in his eyes change from confusion, and realization to anger and determination. But what is he angry about? Is it the fact that he almost lost? But he doesn't seem like a poor sport, so I'm confused.

Slowly Elijah begins to move closer to me and then his head lowers towards mine and I realize why there was determination in his eyes. I can't back away because there is a wall behind me but I don't think that I could back away even if I want to. He stops and looks into my eyes, searching for something in my eyes. I don't know what he found, but it must have been good because his lips are suddenly on mine.

I freeze for a moment before relaxing into his hold. The hand that was around my throat loosens and slowly moves up to caress my cheek. While the other hand moved to rest of my hip. Our lips move in sync for a few moments before I turn my head away from his.

I'm about to say that I was sorry for how I reacted but Elijah beat me to it, "I'm not sorry." He paused, "I wanted to do that, but I know that you aren't over someone."

I stand there shocked, how does he know about my past? I turn my head to face him again and try to find my answers in his eyes. I asked him that question before but he didn't answer me, maybe he'll answer now. I'm about to ask him but again he talks over me, "I know that the Cullen's shouldn't have left you and that you're about to ask how I know this. I know about you from Aro of the Volturi."

He has barely finished his sentence before I'm across the room, looking at him in horror. If he knows that I'm a vampire then he'll tell the Volturi and then they'll interfere with my life somehow. Either by calling the Cullen's and telling them that I'm a vampire and living in Seattle or when they go to visit the Volturi, Edward would hear about me, and where I lived last from Aro's mind.

What about my powers? Aro's a power-hungry leader so he'll want me to join his guard and will probably use the Cullen's against me, so they can't know. But it's too late.

Elijah turns around and says quietly, "I know what you're thinking and I'll try not to let Aro touch me, I'll keep your secret for as long as possible, you don't need to worry."

"That may work for a while but they will eventually find out." I say my eyes darting to the door, wondering if I can get out before Elijah can catch me.

"Yes and for that I'm sorry." He says and actually sounds sorrowful and not just faking it.

"Why didn't you leave as soon as you knew my power? Huh? Or after you killed Victoria, why didn't you leave?" I ask getting angrier the more that time went on.

"I wanted to help you and give you the answers you needed so you wouldn't have driven yourself crazy trying to figure out why I left when I did." He pauses and looks out the door for a moment before looking back at me again. "I have to go now, but I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry that Aro will find out eventually. Maybe when we see each other, it'll be on better terms," he pauses to look deep into my eyes before continuing, "or maybe not."

Elijah starts to head for the door but I call out to him, "If the Volturi does anything to someone I care about, just know that I will kill you, and I won't regret it."

"I can understand that." Elijah says before taking off at vampire speed, leaving me alone once again.

You know what I absolutely hate? The fact that people keep leaving me alone, either because of jobs, or because they don't like me. First my mom marrying Phil and not being there for more of my human life. Then when Edward left me, I thought that he loved me like I loved him but I was just a human pet for his family. Jake left me for some reason, I know now that he was shifting, but he could've told me. I wouldn't have judged him.

Charlie dying struck home just how much that my family won't be with me forever. And now Elijah, someone I thought I could trust, left me because of a stupid job. I know it's a job with the Volturi but I still trusted him with my secret and now he will unwillingly give it away.

I'm starting to think that the Fates really don't like me.


	7. Hal

Ch. 7 – Hal

I walked away from the building and into the woods. I just walked. I missed the feeling of taking my time and looking at everything. But now that I was a vampire, I don't need to slow down; I can still see every detail of everything.

I know that the ground must be cold under my feet but it doesn't bother me like it used to. I can feel the branches whipping past my face as I pick up speed but they don't hurt me, they don't break my skin.

Sometimes I wish that vampires can still bleed. Because since I was so used to being clumsy, I expect get hurt or bleeding. If I did bleed then I could classify myself as almost human, instead of a cold, vampire.

But we don't bleed and there is only one way for us to die, by being ripped apart.

I realize that I'm in my apartment building already, I don't remember how I got here off the top of my head but if I think from a moment then I will remember. This has happened before when I get stuck in my thought. One minute I'm in the woods and the next, I'm at my shop or apartment.

I walk over to the couch and sit down, even though I don't need to. I just want to think for a while.

I don't feel bad that I killed Victoria because she was going to kill me but it's still another existence ended. I now know why Carlisle didn't like violence.

When I grabbed Victoria the tingling feeling was in my hands so that must mean that she had some kind of power. But I'm not sure what it was. Maybe it'll just pop out, like Elijah's did that first day.

I turn my head to look out the window and watch the sunrise but my eye catches on my book shelf. Books, shelves… Oh no! My bookstore is still an utter mess and if Dillon comes, then I'll have too many questions to answer. I'll just tell Dillon not to come in today and then I'll go down there and call the police.

Twenty minutes later I had called Dillon and told him to not come into work and that I'll take over for that day. I didn't tell him about the break in because I'm not supposed to know of it just yet,

I was at the store and looking at the extent of the damage done to the shop. I don't know why Victoria had to ruin my shop; she could've just left everything. She didn't need to wreck everything and put me through all this trouble. Unless she wanted it to look like a robbery gone bad. Guess I can't ask her now.

I pulled out my cell phone and call 911 and waited for the person on the other end to answer. "991, what's your emergency?"

"Hi, someone broke into my bookstore and wrecked everything." I said while walking into the back offices. Surprisingly they aren't as ruined.

"What is your address?" By the sound of her voice, I can tell that she's bored.

I quickly rattle of the address and move to wait in the front room. I grab an overturned chair and sit down to wait for the police.

It took about 5 minutes for them to get here and I went outside to talk to them before showing them the shop.

I waited by the front door as a tall, dark haired guy got out of the driver's side. I could easily see the bright blue eyes he had even through his sunglasses. I glanced over at his partner who had dirty blonde hair that reached the top of his ears. He ran his hand through his hair to pull it back from his face and I got a look at his moss green eyes.

They both walked up to me and I could tell that they both worked out.

"Ma'am, I'm Officer Tom Dwyer and this is Carter Gregory." Blue eyes said. Wait did he just say 'Dwyer'?

"Hi, I'm Bella White. Um… did you say 'Dwyer'?" If he's a 'Dwyer' then he could be half-related to me.

"Yes, I did. May I ask why you asked that question?" Tom tilted his head just a little bit like he was trying to figure something out.

"My mother said that she knew a Renee and Phil Dwyer when she was younger. Sorry if this is too personal but are you related?" I know that he's related to my mom because the last time I checked on her, my half-brother just had a grandson and there were pictures all over Renee's new house.

So this is my half-nephew, nice. I always wanted to be an aunt but I didn't care much for children of my own.

"Yeah, Renee's my grandmother. It's nice to meet you." He paused long enough to reach out a hand to shake mine. I let him grasp mine and I watched as his eyes widened at my cold hands. "How did your mother and my grandmother meet, exactly?"

"I'm not exactly sure; my mom never told me the exact details. But it was something about her and Renee meeting each other at a fair and they were waiting for their husbands to get them food…" I trailed off hoping that he'd know the story.

That day actually happened, the woman was Claire White and she was waiting on her husband to bring her back the food while she got a table. Renee was doing the same thing with Phil but I was with Phil helping him carry the food. For days after the meeting Renee talked about how nice Claire was until the subject got old.

I watched his eyes as the slowly lit up in recognition at the story. Good he knew the story; I don't want to seem like a stalker.

"Yes Renee told me that story. Now can we see your shop?" He had a slight smile on his face and a faraway look but I didn't push.

"Yeah, come inside, just watch your feet." I talk calmly, like this thing happens all the time.

"Sure," Both Tom and Carter said.

I walked inside, making sure to try not to step on things.

I heard all of their gasps at the sight before them and I had to fight to keep the small, amused smile of my face.

I turned around slightly to face them before talking, "Yeah…" I trailed off waiting for them to do whatever they do.

Carter pulled a notepad out of his pocket and started to take down my statement. I told him about how I told my other worker not to come in today because he's been working a lot. They then asked for his name and number but didn't tell me why. But I knew that they were going to check my story.

I quickly finished my statement and let my eyes dart to the right, looking at what Tom was doing. It looked like he was trying to take fingers prints but I knew that he wasn't going to find any because vampires don't have finger prints.

When I first was turned I thought that we did have fingers prints until I got some animal blood on my fingers. When I went to wipe it off all that came off was a smudge but no prints.

One time in 2023, I got into a fight with this other vampire at his place. Luckily he was weak and I was able to kill him. But we left quite a mess of his house and when the police came over, they tried to find finger prints but there wasn't any. The police came to the conclusion that it was a robbery and since they couldn't get any prints for who might have robbed the place, they closed the case.

Carter looked at me with genuine curiosity in his eyes and for a moment I wondered what he was curious about, but my questions were answered. "What are you going to do?"

I sighed and pretended to think it over. "I think that I'll clean this up and then try to sell the lot, or give the lot to my worker." I already knew that I would do the second option, I just hope that Dillon wants the place.

Soon enough both officers left and I shut the blinds. Once I made sure that nobody could she inside the shop I ran around, picking up bookshelves, righting overturned tables and going through which books are in good enough shape to still be sold. There weren't many.

I then called Dillon and told him about the break in and that I was getting people to clean up. Once I gave him time to think about that I asked him if he wanted the store because I was moving. I could tell he was in shock and I was about to reattach the offer but he said yes. We stayed on the phone for a few more moments, me telling him where all the legal stuff was before we hung up.

I soon left the store and got into my car and headed home. I got out my party dress because I decided to go dancing for my last night on the town. I pulled out a nude colored strapless dress with black mesh wrapped around the dress. The mesh would bunch in some places, giving the look of black lines in the dress.

This dress would probably be made favorite dress I've seen and I know that Alice would be proud of my choices. I quickly pull on some black peep toe heels, and leave my hair down before leaving.

*Line Break*

I pulled up in front of a relatively new club and sat watching the people flow in for a moment. I soon got out and decided to follow them inside.

The place had stairs leading down to the dance floor or you could turn left or right to go to the bars. There were rails on the top ledge so that you won't fall down into the crowd of dancers. I walked over to the bar and quickly got a drink.

Even though drinks don't do anything to vampires, they are an item to have when you're at a club so that you don't look out of the picture. I leaned back against the bar and took in the sights around me.

A couple fighting in the corner, a girl watching her friends have fun and a guy walking towards the bar.

I could get snippets of conversation before it was drowned out by the thudding bass of the music. _Why were you with that girl...? Come on, let's go dance… What are you doing?_

For a minute there I thought that the last voice was right beside me, oh well. Maybe I'm getting old? No, others are older than me. Maybe I should just leave, there's nothing to do here.

I could make sure there aren't any vampires in the crowd. Yeah, then I can try to keep all these people protected more. Oh, I should do that more often. Instead of doing nothing for a lot of night, I'll do patrols like Jake's gang. Maybe not, if I have to use my powers then I'll have to kill anyone that see's them.

I jump back a bit because a hand came to wave in front of my face. I snap my head to the side to see an alright looking vampire pulling his hand back. He brings both hands up in the 'I surrender' position at the sight of my glare.

I quickly look over him seeing dark hair, dark eyes, and dark clothes. Very repetitive, I think.

His shoulders are shaking lightly and I slowly raise one eyebrow in question.

He lowers his hands and clears his throat, "It's just that I've never seen a vampire not realize that a hand was coming their way."

Quick, think of something snarky! "And I've never seen a vampire that had to clear their throat." I add an evil smirk at the end and do a quick scope to see if anybody's listening.

His eyes narrow in irritation, "Human habit."

I pretend to think about that for a minute, "Those suck don't they? So what's your name?"

"Hal, yours?" I wonder how much I can annoy him before he explodes. That might be fun to watch.

"Bella Swan. I have a question, why are you where all dark clothes?" Shoot! I told him my real name, but maybe it's not that important. I turn away from him to watch the crowd again but I pay attention to what he's saying.

"I like to stay under the radar." Hal shrugged his shoulders and asked for another drink.

"Under the radar or in the shadows watching?"

"What's the difference?" Hal looks over from his drink for a quick second before turning back to it.

I raise my eyebrows at the question. I know it's a rhetorical question but I answer it to see if it'll push his buttons. "Very little."

Hal scowls at me and I give a small smile.

"Well it was nice to meet you but I have to go," I stood straight up and was about to go when Hal grabbed my wrist. That familiar tingling feeling was in my hand and I wondered what power he could have. I lightly shake my wrists trying to make it not noticeable but I think Hal see's it.

"You should stay." He smirks at me and I can tell that he's an arrogant guy that's used to getting everything he wants.

"I should leave." I copy his smirk and then pull my wrist from his grasp and cross my arms over my chest.

He wags his eyebrows in what I think is a cool way but it's just plain creepy. "We can have some fun, doll."

I raise my eyebrow at the pet name. "One, I don't appreciate your pathetic pet names and second, I don't think anything you do could be fun."

Hal's eyes narrow in anger and he smiles a tight smile. I smile back before continuing on my desired path out of the club. When I was looking into Hal's eyes, a creepy feeling settled on my shoulders. And something in my gut was saying that I should be careful of what he does.

I shake of the unsettling feeling and head into my car, going 100 all the way to my apartment.

I take of my heels and toss them onto the bed, before turning to the mirror. I still look that same when I went out, not a hair out of place.

Sometimes I wish that I have different colored hair because I get bored. Sometimes I wish that it's a deep black or bleach blonde but I know that once you're a vampire, your hair doesn't change colors.

I lean forward slightly to look at my image more closely in the mirror and try to picture my hair as blonde.

Then something strange happens. It starts gradually; a light blonde color seems to seep into my roots and runs down my hair strands, turning them blonde. I reach a hand up, thinking that if I touch a strand the mirage will go away and my normal hair color will come back.

I touch a strand and the blonde color does not fade away. My mouth drops open in shock and my eyes widen. I lower my hand and stare at my now changed appearance.

How did this happen? I can't just have blonde hair! I've never seen anything like this before; I didn't think that I was possible for a vampire to change their hair color.

I still am standing in front of the mirror staring at my hair, wondering how I did that. Did I do that? I had to have done that because no one else is around.

I shut my mouth and lean back, contemplating how I could fix this. Maybe this is another power of mine? If so then I'll have to control this so I don't get drained of energy.

I remember picturing how I would look as a blonde, so maybe that's it? Picture what I want and it will be done?

If so then let's try something totally different. How about red hair with vibrant green eyes?

I narrow my eyes and picture myself with waist length wavy red hair, and vibrant forest green eyes. I watch and the red color seeps from my roots and into the blonde hair. As the red color travels through the strands, it makes my hair about 6 inches longer and gives my straight hair soft waves.

"Hmm," I say tilting my head and looking at my new image. I look pretty but with the red hair, but I look about 15 years old.

I wonder if I can change more than just how I look. Like my face shape? My height maybe? Anything else?

I have already accepted this new power after not even 5 minutes. That tells you something about how much I have changed in 50 years.

As I pulled a piece of hair back from my face, a question popped into my mind. Who did I get this power from?

The only vampires that I've touched and got that tingly feeling from are Victoria, Elijah and Hal. So I must have gotten this power from either Hal or Victoria. But I don't think that Victoria would have this power, so it's probably Hal.

But what is Victoria's power? It must not be a power that can be used in the outside world but in my head. I wonder how I'll get it to work? Maybe it'll just work on its own?

Back to the problem! I'm going to need to talk to Hal again so that he can answer my questions. But the way I left him at the bar, he won't be happy with me.

APOV (Alice)

A couple of days ago, I got a vision of someone killing Victoria, but I'm not sure who. I think well… I'll just show you.

_*Vision*_

_I watched as some invisible person made from come from their hands and trapped Victoria with the fire. I saw some unknown man come up and pass the invisible person. The flames around Victoria lessen some but only for the man to walk through. The man tore Victoria's head of and the invisible person started another fire for Victoria to be out into. _

_The man told the person something but I couldn't hear over the roar of the flames. The man looked like he was convincing the invisible person of something. _

_Suddenly then man darted forward and grabbed something in his arms, I'm guessing it's the invisible person. Then they both left the place where Victoria was killed._

_*End of Vision*_

I told the family the vision and they were all happy that Victoria was dead but were slightly worried that I couldn't see someone.

Edward was the happiest I've seen him since we left Bella and that's saying a lot. I am happy that Victoria is dead but I have a feeling that whoever that man is he's going to be causing trouble.

I've described him to Carlisle since he's been around the longest and he said that he's never seen him. I can tell that everybody is wondering who that guy is and how the invisible person was invisible in my vision.

No one has ever heard of someone not seen in my visions. The only time that I couldn't see someone in my visions was Bella but she can't be alive, I saw her die.

But maybe she… No Alice! She's dead and not coming back, not matter how much you want her too.

AN: In the next couple of chapters, Bella is going to meet a lot of people so I have a question. Do you want each person's name and description? Or just the name? Because sometimes if there are a lot of people in a story I can't remember some characters so I'm asking for your opinion.

Tell me in a review!

Oh and one more thing: can you guys give me some names you like? Because I thought that if you guys would tell me some names, I would use them. But I'd give you credit of course.


	8. They Know

Ch.8 – They know

The club seemed even more packed then went I left it. But I'm not too sure how it's more packed, unless there are back rooms. I had to struggle to get through the mass of people. Bodies kept bumping into me and the smell of drugs and alcohol was right on the edge of being too much.

I finally make my way towards the bar and ask the bartender where a tall guy with dark hair, and dark clothes went. She said that he had just left and went back to her job.

I slump against the edge of the counter again and wonder how far Hal could've gotten in half an hour. The bar tender said that he just left so he could be nearby. Or once he was out of the bar, he could've run using his vampire speed.

I stare at the dancers on the floor below me and wonder that if life were simpler; would I be one of those dancers? Probably not because I never liked to go out but maybe my friends might have. Or my boyfriend would take me here and we'd dance for hours before he'd take me home. Then I'd try to get Charlie into his bed instead of sleeping on the couch, and fall asleep to Charlie's loud ass snores but life wouldn't be that simple again.

I mentally sigh and start to head out when a cold hand lands on my shoulder. I smirk in my head but keep my poker face on as I turn towards the man behind me.

I pretend to look surprised and then happy that Hal is here but inside I'm cringing away from the weird look that he's giving me. "Hey, I was looking for you," I say but then regret the amount of happiness I put into my voice. Hal's smirk widens and for a minute I think that he's going to say 'Why so serious?' like the Joker. He could probably pull that off. I suppress the urge to shudder but just barely. I notice that his right hand is moving towards his back pocket slowly, and he has a cell phone in that hand. It seems like he doesn't want me to know that he has a cell phone but why? What would a cell phone alert me to? Maybe he got a call from a friend? But I've never heard of a nomad with a cell phone. I'm probably over-thinking this.

"Why? Come back to have some fun?" One eyebrow rises slowly.

"Of course, I love having fun." I put a slight emphasis on the last word, hopping that he'll fall for it.

I lean forward, put a hand on his shirt and curl it around some fabric to bring him closer. "Then, let's go," I let go of his shirt and briskly walk out the door and into the forest. I don't look back because I know that Hal's following me so I start to run father into the forest.

I stop about 3 miles in and turn to see Hal just coming into the clearing that I found. It's nothing special, just an open space between trees that could be used for a vampire fight. The grass is dead and you can hear it crackling underneath your feet.

I wait till he's all the way into the clearing until I ask my question. "What is your power?"

He looks cautious for a moment before a blank mask comes over his face. "Why do you want to know?" Hal asks slowly, like he's ready to run at any moment.

I can't tell him my real power, and I can't have two powers because no one else does. I quickly come up with an excuse that will maybe help me later. "I want to know because I can see in your eyes that your power will be very important and useful in the future but I'm not too sure how." I hope that he believes that crap line because if he doesn't then everything will go downhill.

Hal raises one eyebrow in suspicion but stays where he is. "How can you see that?"

"An old friend taught me. He said that if the pupils glint most of the time, then they must be a very powerful vampire." I watch him carefully, looking for any signs that he either doesn't believe me or does.

Hal stares at me for a long time, just looking into my eyes. Almost like they had the answers to life's questions. I don't know what he saw in my eyes but he tells me about his power. "I can change my outside appearance." Hal boasts, like it's the greatest thing in the world.

I make my eyes widen in awe and say, "Really? How do you do that?"

Hal's look of suspicion comes back into his eyes so I decide to back off a little on the expressions.

"I will it into reality," he pauses and looks around like he's telling a great secret, "but if I lose concentration then my old self is shown."

I narrow my eyes in irritation at his actions and suppress the urge to tear off a limb. I quickly put a contemplative expression on my face and ask my most important question, "Can you change your scent?"

I watch his eyes closely, just in case he tries to lie out of my question.

"Yes," Hal simply states before closely his eyes in concentration. I take a deep breath in to ask a question but stop when I notice that Hal's scent has just switched from a humid summer day to a bitter fall day. If I hadn't breathed in at that split second then I wouldn't have smelt the change. Hal's original scent actually faded away while the new scent overcame it.

My eyes widen in actual awe and my brain is already thinking about all the different possibilities of this power. "How?" I ask quickly. If I had met Hal on the street somewhere with this new scent, then I would think that it was his original scent.

I wonder if I had been able to change my scent like this when James was after me, if he would have found me. He probably would have because he was watching everyone but if he was only after me then I could probably shake him off my trail.

Hal shrugs his shoulders and says, "I just think that I smell as something different, and keep a portion of my brain on that thought to make sure I don't let that thought slip."

I smirk on the inside, still coming up with all the different scenarios to use this. I could pretend to be someone else to get information or I can maybe go back to Forks, pretend to be a human and check out the house.

"Now enough about me, let's talk about you."

"Ok, what do you want to know?" I ask in suspicion.

"What power do you have?" I freeze at the simple question. I can't tell him my real power, or my shield but I need to give him _something_.

"I can control fire, like this." I flick my arm out in front of me and let a stream of fire go from my hand and in front of him. I stop the fire about a foot away from his face and then extinguish it right away.

I watch as his expression moves from shocked, to confused, to contemplative and finally to determined. I'm thinking about his finally expression when I feel something click in my brain. I decide to think about it later and focus on Hal.

I am about to speak but Hal cuts me off.

"No, that's not your power." Hal crosses his arms over his chest and I try to think of a lie quickly but I come up with none. Hal takes my silence as a confirmation and continues, "That's not your power because it is Elijah's."

I give him a few seconds to think about things and am about to speak but he cuts me off _again_. "You only wanted me out hear so that you could learn my power." He accuses me, his eyes widened in shock.

I shrug my shoulders. "Guilty." I say simply before continuing, "What? Did you think that I wanted to 'have fun' with you? Poor Hal is outwitted by a girl." I coo at him and watch as his anger starts to boil.

Hal lunges at me with both arms raised to grab at me.

Hal grabs my upper arm but I twist it slightly so that the underside of his arm is showing. I then chop at it with a lot of my strength and watch as his right forearm falls to the ground.

His eyes glance at his arm before attacking me again. His left hand comes at me in a punch while his tries to hook his right foot behind my right ankle. I don't know which attack to defend first but then a small voice in my head says to _step back on his foot, do a back flip away from his punch and let my right foot connect with his jaw. _I quickly do just that and watch as Hal staggers back a step. I hear a twig snap in the forest to my left and freeze at the noise.

_Run!_ The voice in my head says and in quickly run back about five feet to see that Hal was about to claw my head off.

I decide to end this and make two whips of flame wrap themselves around Hal's body. He screams out at the feeling of the fire on his skin and I slowly walk towards him.

"Any last words," I say in a bored tone while tightening the grip of the flames little by little.

Hal smirks at me before saying, "The Volturi know." He laughs at the horrified expression on my face but I'm not sure how he could. The pain of the fire would be too much to talk much more let alone laugh.

I quickly tear his head off and start another fire off to my right. I let go of the fire around the rest of Hal's body and watch as it falls lifeless to the ground. I toss his head into the fire and quickly finish off his body.

I am about to leave but remember the forearm that I cut off before. I walk to where it is laying and watch silently as it tries to pull itself into the woods.

I have heard stories before that say that even if a little piece of a vampires body is left out of the fire, they can survive. The piece will slowly re-grow its body but the vampire will survive. I've never seen it before but I can't take that chance.

I grab Hal's arm and toss it into the fire. I guess that since the 'Volturi know' I'll have to leave this city and move somewhere else. Maybe they don't know who I am. But if Elijah is back in Volterra already, then they should know who I am and what I can do. Shit. I guess it's time to run, but to where?


	9. Message

AN: I'd like to thank LittleMissDreamer7 for the name Reilly in this chapter and the physical description. I'd like to thank everyone who review my chapters and favorite this story and added me or my story to either story/author alert. All of the reviews make me smile and make me want to finish my chapters faster.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight

Ch.9 – Message

* * *

><p>I looked out the small window to my right and watched as the city of New York gave way to the many clouds high above the city.<p>

The only times I've ever really flown before were when I'd visit Charlie during the summer. But there wasn't much to see when you were forty thousand feet above sea level just clouds and more clouds. When the plane would get closer to the ground or if there wasn't much clouds; I'd see various landscapes. Huge clumps of various shades of green grass and trees, the twisting and winding highways, and the seemingly random dots that make cities.

Here there are clouds but when the clouds leave, you see a great expanse of blue. Sea blue, green blue, deep blue and a midnight blue. A human would never be able to see the midnight color of the ocean but a vampire could see the dark color that lay deep under the top level of the ocean.

I sit back in my economy class chair and sigh heavily. The smell of the humans' blood in the air is much more concentrated because of the closed in space but with my control, I should be fine for the twelve hour flight.

I had left Seattle right after killing Hal but first I had taken all my valuable things such as my car and books and put them in a storage unit. Don't want anyone to take my stuff do I?

I had gotten on the first flight from Seattle to New York because I knew that if anyone tried to follow me, it would be harder with planes. You can't pick up my scent after Seattle unless you go straight to New York so that'll throw some followers. If what Hal said was right anyway.

But how could the Volturi not know? Elijah has been gone for a three days already so that would give him time to get to Volterra and then for Aro to notify others. I've heard that Aro is power hungry so that either means that I'll have to join the Volturi or they will try to kill me. I don't like either option, at all. But how would Hal know that the Volturi knew? Unless he wasn't just a random nomad. Maybe he was a Volturi scout living in the Seattle area and was told to find me? Shit.

I still can't believe that Elijah would stay to help me with my powers after Victoria was killed. He had nothing else to stay for, but I am grateful that he helped me understand his power more. But that kiss.

That jerk.

Even though I didn't pull after from him and I responded to the kiss, he knew that I wasn't over someone. I'm mad that he did kiss me but I can find no real logical reason to be. I mean he gave me a chance to pull back before, and I responded to the kiss. But I can still be angry. Can't I?

I think that I can because he never told me about who he worked for. So that evens it out, but that's just my thinking.

I've heard of the Volturi only once before and that memory is foggy because it was seen through dull, human eyes.

Carlisle told me about them and how he had stayed with them for a period of time in his life. I had gotten all the information that I could out of him, for a feeling of dread had overcame me and something whispered in my head to learn about them. I am glad that I did learn about them now, or else I wouldn't know who Hal was talking about or the fear other vampires had for all of them. Especially the siblings, Jane and Alec.

The Cullen's were always confused at why I wanted to learn about other covens but I'd always tell them that I might as well know if I'm going to be a vampire anyway. One day during the summer I had asked Carlisle where each coven is located, he had given me an unreadable look but did tell me. I had that gut feeling again that kept whispering that I should know where everyone is, just in case I need help.

That feeling is proven right again.

I pull out my phone and look at the messages. I only have one new text message and I have opened it and I don't like what it says. I got the text message when I landed in New York and opened it right away, not looking at who sent it_. Isabella Swan_, the text message reads. _We know who you are and what you can do, either join the Volturi or we will have to use force._

I didn't reply right away but then I thought, _Hell with it,_ and replied with a short, _no_.

Literally seconds later a reply had come. _Then this is war_, the message had said. I guess that the Volturi realized how powerful I could be and the only way I can be taken down is with a lot of people.

That was why I'm going to be flying around the world seeing if other coven's will want to help me take out the Volturi.

Carlisle had once told me that even though everyone listened to the Volturi, they would rather have someone else lead them. That wasn't power hungry and arrogant like Aro. Carlisle had said that a lot of people were willing to die to get rid of the Volturi but they had no one to lead them and everyone would be affected by Jane's power.

But I have a theory. I've heard that Jane's power makes you think that you're in pain but if Edward couldn't get into my mind then maybe Jane can't either? That would be useful, then I could take out both her and Alec and then the others will be able to fight.

I try to pretend to rest for the twelve hour flight to Dublin, but I can't relax. I'm just waiting for something bad to happen. The plane ride is a slow one but I finally get out of the airport and follow try to find a vampires scent.

It takes about a half an hour walking at human speed but I finally find a vampire scent. I follow it outside of the city and closer into the forest. The smell goes on for about 10 miles before a house comes into view. It's a white two story house sitting in a fifth foot wide circular clearing. Half of the front of the house is covered in wines but the nature just house seemingly belongs in the forest.

I walked forward slowly letting them hear me before seeing me. I could hear four people suddenly stop walking to wherever they were going before and sit on something by the door. I run up to the door, push it open and stare open mouthed at the living room before me.

The walls are an off white color and the couch, chairs and TV are on my right side. The area on the left side is divided from the living room by a pane of glass that reaches floor to ceiling and only reaches about halfway across the room. The couches are an off white too but the flowers; painting frames, and on wide strip along the top of each wall is a moss green with black flecks inside. I never liked all white rooms so that green fits well, especially since we are in the middle of the forest.

I shake myself out of my daze and watch quietly as a one of the red-heads walks towards me.

"Hello my name is Reilly, I'm the leader of this coven and the others are Siobhan," Reilly pointed to a large woman that appeared to be over six feet tall with raven colored hair and bright red eyes from recently hunting, "her mate Liam and Maggie." Reilly finished her by pointing at another red haired female. Maggie is only a few inches taller than Alice, very thin, maybe about 15 years old and her red hair is made of many red ringlets.

Liam has a mop of dark brown hair and is thin whereas his mate is curvier. Liam looks to be in his late thirties while Siobhan looks barley 20 years old when they were both changed.

I pull my gaze back to Reilly and take in her long, lose curly red hair. Neither Reilly nor Maggie has as vibrant hair as Victoria but I truly like the darker red hair.

I keep my expression impassive, trying not to give away the urgency of what I'm about to speak about. "My name is Isabella Swan," I barely get out my last name before the Irish Coven jumps back from where they where and crouch in my direction, growly menacingly. I'm shocked into silence at what they did.

What are they doing? I haven't showed that I am any sort of threat yet. Unless someone here has a power that can detect threats? But that doesn't fit because then only one person would react to me and not everyone.

"What are you doing?" My eyebrows furrowed in confusion and my head slightly titled.

"You are the one the Volturi is looking for," Siobhan hissed at me and my eyes widened in surprise before controlling my features again.

"What do you mean?" I looked from one person to another and noticed that Maggie keeps nodding her head slightly each time I answer a question. What is she doing? I decide to keep my eyes on her but I still need to figure out what they are talking about.

"What do I mean? She asked what I meant. Hah!" Siobhan voiced raised in incredulously and I narrowed my eyes lightly in irritation.

"Siobhan, that's enough." Reilly spoke with authority and it reminded me of Carlisle for a split second.

Siobhan opens her mouth to either yell at me or at Reilly but little Maggie interrupts. "She's telling the truth, she doesn't know what you mean."

How can one person be so sure of their answer? I wonder as I watch as the other vampires all nod their heads slightly, as if already accepting the answer. But why would they just agree with her?

Even in the Cullen household with both Edward and Jasper's gifts, everyone would argue over an answer.

"Excuse me?" I watch as the other vampires come out of their crouches and walk over to the couches and chairs.

Reilly sits in one of the chairs and motions for me to take the one opposite of her. I quickly sit down and try not to tap my foot in irritation.

"The Volturi has issued a new rule," I open my mouth to interrupt but she continues, "The rule is that if anyone knows where Isabella Swan is or what she looks like then they have to speak to the Volturi or they die. The second part of the rule is that if anyone helps Isabella in the war, then the Volturi will kill them."

My mouth must have hit the ground by now. The Volturi would go to these lengths to keep people from helping me? What if nobody helps me because of the Volturi? I blink a couple times to get rid of the fog their words had induced.

"I didn't know that," I hear myself mumble still thinking. What if they call the Volturi? But Carlisle said that Reilly was a fair person so maybe they'll hear me out?

Maggie cocks her head to the side and for a second, with her hair falling forward, she looks like a dog.

"So what are you guys going to do?" I can't help but ask, knowing that if they chose not to help me, I can always run.

Reilly stares at my expression for a second but that second is the longest I've ever had. I don't know what she saw in my eyes or in my expression but she smiles slightly. Reilly slowly turns her head to look at each of the other coven members. They each slightly nod their heads

I try not to get my hopes up but it's useless. I'm already hoping that they are going to say yes. But that nod could be understood as either a yes or a no, but I'm hoping for a yes.

"Yes, we will help you. The Volturi have been in power for much too long and are very greedy. Someone needs to put them in their place and we will help you with that." Reilly confirms my suspicions.

I let out a heavy sigh, thankful that I'm not on my own anymore. Finally I'm one step closer to what little piece of happiness I can get.

"Thank you guys, so much." I feel like I have to thank them for the great generosity they gave me and the help that they will give me.

"Um… how about you tell us about your life and we can try to help you find more people to talk to?" Maggie questions.

I freeze for a moment, wondering how much I should tell them but then I think that I'll just leave out some parts.

"I had always felt different in the human world, like I didn't fit in quite right. But I always brushed it off and thought that I'd fit in when I'm older but it never happened. I lived with my mom, Renee in Jacksonville, Arizona but visited my dad, Charlie who lived in Forks, Washington until I was twelve.

In the middle of my junior year I moved to Forks because my mom remarried." I was going to keep going but Siobhan interrupted me.

"Did you move because you were angry at your mom?" Siobhan asked.

"No, I wasn't angry at Renee. I was happy that she was happy but I decided to go to Forks because since Phil was a Minor League baseball player, he had to move around a lot. But I had to stay home to go to school and Renee would stay with me, so I moved so that she could follow him."

When I finally finished my story, nobody spoke for a few moments. I looked around the room, trying to shake off the awkward feeling but it wouldn't leave me.

"Edward said that? The one that Carlisle was always talking about and proud of?" Reilly asked me and I could only nod my head.

"I can't believe that the Carlisle I know would just leave without saying goodbye." Siobhan mumbled under her breath and Liam nodded with her statement.

"Well, now we really have to help you." Maggie says, a bright smile gracing her face.

"How are you going to do that other than helping me fight?" I ask.

"We have some ideas." Liam says all cryptically. I hate when people go all cryptic, it makes me feel like I'm being left out of something and I don't like that feeling.

"Which are?" I question.

"I assume that you don't want useless powers, right? And you want to know everything about a power without asking the person?" Liam asks me. I nod to both questions, wondering what he's thinking.

"There is a person that is able to do that. His name is Eleazar and he lives with the Denali Coven." Liam said.

"Oh, I know about them, I asked Carlisle about them once but he never told me that they had powers." I say.

"Then I suggest that you go to them and work with Eleazar on your powers and maybe pick up a few new ones on the way." Liam said.

I have already established the fact that I will go to work with Eleazar but the fact that's holding me back slightly is the fact of not knowing if the Cullen's will be there. I could always change my appearance if the Cullen's were there but then the Denali's wouldn't know what I really look like.

I start to nibble on my bottom lip, a habit from my human life that I couldn't seem to shake.

Maggie broke me out of my thoughts with her words, "I called the Cullen's a couple weeks ago because I was planning to visit them but then the war was started. They said that they lived somewhere in Alberta, Canada and weren't planning on leaving for a few more years."

I breathed a sigh of relief and thanked each of them for helping me out before walking towards the door.

I stop suddenly and slowly turn around. "Do any of you have any powers that I could use? I don't mean to be disrespectful but they could help me out a lot." I said.

Reilly looked at each member of the coven for their answers and turned to me once they finished their silent conversation.

"Yes, we have powers that you could use," Reilly paused for a moment and thought about something. "I wonder what would happen if you used one of our powers at the same time as we did on the same person? Would the influence increase or would they cancel each other out? Hm."

Reilly shook herself out of her daze and looked back to me with a hopeful smile on her face. "I can give other people good or bad luck but I can't give that to myself." She walked over to my and held her hand out in a hand shake.

I smile slightly already feeling better that I have more of a chance. I take her hand and still jump slightly at the feeling. Next is Maggie, she walks up to me and stands to the right of Reilly. "I can tell when someone is lying." Then she raised her hand too.

Siobhan comes up to me next. "I didn't like you at first but I can understand where you're coming from, so good luck." She too raised her hand and I shook it, not expecting the shock that came with it.

"Do you have a power?" I ask, very confused.

"No I don't, Liam and I are the only ones that don't have powers." Siobhan says, her red eyes mixed with confusion and irritation.

"But I swear that I felt the tell-tale sign of someone having a power. Are you sure, absolutely sure, that you don't have a power?" I ask again, hoping that I haven't gone made quite yet.

"Yes I'm su-" Siobhan was cut off by her mate Liam who had just joined us near the doorway.

"What did Carlisle say all those years ago?" Liam asked his mate.

"What? What do that-? Oh." Siobhan gazes into space above my head and I twist my body around to look above me, but not seeing what she's looking at.

"Excuse me? I'm not quite following." I'm getting a little irritated at the slow pace we are working at and pretty soon I'm sure to snap at someone.

Siobhan finally drops her gaze down to meet my eyes and I see awe there. "Carlisle had always told me that if I will a situation to go the way I want it to, it will. I never believed him before but now I guess I have proof. Thank you, I guess."

Carlisle? It seems that Carlisle has done a lot of work for me; I'll have to get him a present and thank him when I see him again. Maybe a 'World's Best Dad' mug? No, I'll make it read 'World's Best Dad until he leaves a supposed family member alone to face my enemy.' But that might be too long. Damn.

"You're welcome, but I must go now." I said and ran at my fastest out the door, already knowing where to go, but first to hunt.

AN: The next chapter should be up in a week or so, I already have some of it done. I was in Alaska for a week and that's why it took this so long to post but I got many great ideas on my trip and will use them in my story.


	10. Hello

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

Ch.10 – Hello

EPOV

I don't know how or why things change so suddenly but they do. But I'm still trying to figure out if this time was for better or worse.

Yesterday Aro himself called Carlisle on his cell phone. Alice had seen this happening but couldn't see what Aro wanted to speak about; we thought that we were going to be asked to visit.

Oh how I wish it was back to that time. When the only thing I had to worry about was surviving another day and trying to keep my anguish and self-hate down to as lower level so that Jasper wouldn't feel as bad.

The family was all in the living room during the call and then even a day after the call we all still sat there speechless.

Aro had announced that there was a new law. If anyone knows what Isabella Swan looks like then they must tell the Volturi right away. But if they join her in the war, then they will die.

From the thoughts of the people surrounding me, they had all stopped at 'Isabella Swan.'

When we were finally able to operate, there was a fight. Emmett and Rosalie both agreed that there was no way that Bella could be alive, so this new person must just have that same name. There are people around the world with the same name so we could argue with that.

Carlisle and Jasper both were on the same thinking track. They couldn't argue with the fact that there was a car accident but they pointed out that a nomad could've smelt the blood and changed her.

Alice was happy at the fact that her sister might be alive after all but then her hopes crashed when Rosalie pointed out that Alice can't see Bella. Alice couldn't fight that and reluctantly gave in.

Esme was the easiest to understand. She was worried about what this new information would do to her family, but hopeful that there might be a chance that Bella is alive. Just like the mother she tries to be.

Me? Well, I try to ignore the thought all together. If I think that there might be a possibility of my Bella still alive, then I feel moderately better. But if Bella really is dead, then I don't know what I'd do. I just don't want to get my hopes up just for them to be crushed.

But if it really is Bella, she wouldn't be so stupid as to provoke the Volturi into a war. Would she?

BPOV

After finishing off my deer and one bear I made my way back to Reilly house. I wasn't there for long, just long enough to get each of their phone numbers just in case I need to tell them something important.

I hadn't feed in almost two weeks so my eyes were pretty dark but I was alright around humans but then again, I don't wanna push it.

On the plane ride over here I was so nervous of their reactions and kept worrying myself with images of how they would react to me. But thankfully, they listened to me and agreed to help me. I don't think anything in 50 years has ever made me feel this happy or relieved. Carlisle was right once again, I should get him that mug on day. Maybe, probably not.

This time I had seriously considered swimming across the ocean since I've never done that yet. But then I was unfortunately reminded of the fact that I don't have much time to waste.

I've been thinking about going straight to Denali and getting help from Eleazar and his family but then my stupid subconscious keeps whispering to _go to the Cullen's and see how they are. You can disguise it as you asking for help with the war, you don't even need to talk about the one bad subject. Just get in and get out._

At first it was easy to resist but as time wears on, the whispers keep tempting me. But each time so far I'd quickly remember what I'm doing and the fact that they left me and would try to forget about my stupid subconscious.

I made it into Canada with one of the dozens of fake passports that I've gathered over the years and quickly left Toronto's airport. I didn't want to fly to Anchorage just after getting off of two twelve hour flights; I'm already starting to feel jittery.

I only brought a backpack full of clothes, knowing that if I have to run, I won't be able to run as fast with luggage. Backpacks are ideal for quick getaway, hold enough stuff to supply me for a month and are easy enough to dispose of. I've learned this the hard way one too many times and don't want to repeat the experience especially since there is so much more on the line.

I shake my head from my thoughts and try to focus on running but that doesn't work since running is second nature to me now. I decided to start counting the leaves that were on each tree as I ran past but that didn't keep me from worrying for long.

I jump over a fallen log and had just crossed the Saskatchewan border and was running through the forests in the northern part when I smelled another vampire.

My eyes widened, thinking they were a part of the Volturi but I kept moving but at a slower pace. I made sure to step on the moist ground and not on the weak twigs, not wanting to give away my position to the other vampire.

I was about to step through a line of trees when I was thrown into a big spruce tree about twenty feet behind me. I heard the crack before I registered the falling feeling but when I did; I jumped away from the tree and landed in a defensive position. I let out a long growl, not at all impressed with the fact that this vampire pushed me into a freaking tree.

A tall sandy hair man of about Carlisle's age stepped from the foliage and I immediately stopped growling. His head cocked to the side and he raised his hands in a surrender position.

"Sorry about that," The man said with a hint of an old accent. I raised one eyebrow in challenge and the man just shrugged his shoulders.

"I'll admit it you snuck up on me. But no one had ever been able to do that before, so how could you have?" The man lowered his hands again while his eyebrows scrunched up in thought.

"You mustn't've been paying attention, what's your name?" I say.

"My name in Garrett of no coven, and yours?" I pause, should I tell him about me? I could always use another member for times like these.

"Do you promise not to leave and will stay until I have finished my story?" I need some kind of reassurance, no matter how small.

"Yes, of course." Garrett says.

"Well Garrett of no coven, I'm Isabella Swan of whom the Volturi is looking for." I pause and take in the visible war waging in his eyes. One side of him looks like it wants to run while the other side wants to keep his promise and is too curious for its own good.

"I have no desire at all to over throw the Volturi but they declared war on me unless I gave myself up. You must understand that, right? They want to kill me or make me work for them because of my powers, I didn't want these powers but I was gave them. It's not fair to force someone to work for you if what they have, they don't want. Correct?" Garrett slowly nods his head, still thinking over what I said.

"I'm only fighting them because it's time for them to give up their hold on the vampire world and because I want to fight to show that I can protect myself and won't need to fight again. But I need help." I finish softly.

I wait in silence; to scared to look up into his eyes to see what I already know is there. Disgust, hate and determination are what I'm scared that I'll see but I'm hoping that my speech will change his views of this whole war.

He knows what I look like; he could easily just run away and tell the Volturi what I look like because in all of the confusion, I didn't put up a fake identity. I'll have to work on doing that in a blink of an eye.

"Yeah, I'll help you." Garrett says.

I check to make sure he isn't lying because I really don't want to deal with this right now. I'm way too stressed.

"What?" I ask, completely shocked.

"You need more people to help you out right?" I slowly nod my head. "Well then I'll help you out. It'll be fun." Garrett reminds me of an older Emmett, always wanting to fight and stress free.

"Okay then, follow me then." I order before taking off again.

"Wait, where are we going exactly?" Garrett asks from beside me since I wasn't running at full tilt.

"We're heading north towards Denali National Park." I don't want to give any more information unless he wants it; he could just be along for the ride.

"Why are we going there?" Garrett asks.

"Don't you know that curiosity kills the cat?" I ask turning my head slightly to look at him.

"Do you know how many times I've heard that?" I figure the question is rhetorical and simply shrug. "But satisfaction brought it back, you know."

I turn my head sharply towards him. I didn't know there was an ending to that old saying. I stumble over my words for a moment before simply snapping my mouth shut and focusing on running again.

"You were going to tell me why we are going to Denali?" Garrett asks a hint of irritation in his voice at having to ask the question twice.

I let out a long breath that I didn't know that I had been holding. "There's a coven there that feed off of animals and a source told me that the male there can help me with my powers more. That's why I'm going."

"You don't seem as angry and self-centered as the Volturi make you out to be." Garrett points out about 5 minutes into our run.

"Of course not, I'm just a sweet little angel not capable of killing _anyone_." I twirl my finger in the shape of a halo over my head.

"Why did you just do _that_?" Garrett asks, mimicking making a halo over his head.

"It reminds me of my dad, Charlie, he would always do that when I told him to be good and I feel like I need to do something to remind me of him and keep his presence alive." My eyes filled with venom tears and it pained me to know that I won't ever shed a tear again.

When I breathed in my breath hitched but I quickly got it under control.

We were about halfway through Alberta when I smelled it. Honey and orange blossoms. The smell that has haunted me for the last 50 years of my life.

I pull up short, but Garrett kept running until he noticed that I had stopped. I don't know exactly why I had stopped but no matter how hard I try, I can't get my feet to move.

_Maybe it's because you don't want to run._ My subconscious whispered to me.

I shock that thought away and tried to move again. Thankfully I could but when I looked up at Garrett, he was looking at me with an unreadable expression.

Suddenly I could hear voices to the west and the scent of vampires got stronger. I closed my eyes and tried to focus on how many people were there and listened for each time someone breathed. I counted 9 and was about to unfocus when I realized that there was no coven that large. The only coven close to that big is the Cullen's unless they got more members. Unless it was a large amount of Volturi scouts and at base camp to plan. Damn.

I was about to ask for Garrett's advice on the problem at hand when a deep voice spoke.

"How can it be her? She's dead!" Emmett's voice carried on the wind from where their house must be. Shit! I thought that I could avoid them but at least it's not the Volturi that are here. Damn what am I going to do?

Wait, who's dead? I hope they aren't talking about me. I really don't want to hear my ex-family talk smack about me even if I know that they have a right to live their un-dead lives how they want.

I could stop them from talking smack about me by walking in there but that may be counterproductive. But would it still be counterproductive if they didn't know it was me?

I was digging deeper in my thoughts when Garrett said, "Hey you need more people for you war right?" I silently nodded, not knowing what he was getting at but then it hit me like a tons of bricks. "Then come on," Garrett finished before running west towards the house.

I quickly changed my voice just in case one of them heard me and shouted, "Garrett, wait! No!" But I was too late because he was already half way there and showed no signs of slowing down.

I ran full speed towards him while changing my appearance to one of a whiteish blonde hair color and raised my height so that I was now closer to 5'9" instead of my old 5'6". I quickly changed my scent from lavender and freesia to Tahitian orchid and vanilla. Garrett gave me a confused look as to my new appearance but I didn't want to answer out loud so I just looked down at myself and then at the house. Hoping that he could figure it out. Thankfully he did and gave a small nod in acknowledgment.

We had reached the house and all movement grew silent. Garrett dropped back, silently showing that he thought that I should go in first. Shit. I did not think that I would see the Cullen's under these circumstances at all. More like, me going shopping for once and bumping into Alice and her dragging me home or me getting into some troubles and would need their help but then would leave right away.

I think that either of those choices would've been better.

The house here in Alberta looks like a log house but with two levels and a deck on each of them. **(Website at bottom)**

I stop right before the door and don't give myself enough time to talk myself out of it. I take a deep breath and grab the door knob since it would be useless to knock because they know someone's at the door. I push the door open and move to the right of it, letting Garrett in before hearing the thick door shut with a resounding thud.

I was looking at the huge window on the opposite wall but tear my gaze away and let a chilling smirk gaze my new face.

I glance over each of the people hear but don't let my gaze lock until my eyes settle on Carlisle. It seems fitting that I should speak to him since he's the leader and it would be suspicious if I talked to Alice or Edward.

"Hello Cullens,"

AN: Cliffy! Alright thanks so much for the reviews last time but I got to admit, there weren't that many reviews for the last chapter. So this time can we try to get to 15? If I get 15 reviews then the next chapter will be up on Tuesday, if I get 10 it'll be up on Thursday but anything lower won't be until Saturday.

Alberta House - http:/www(dot)google(dot)ca/imgres?q=houses+in+Alberta&um=1&hl=en&rls=:en-us&biw=1440&bih=760&tbm=isch&tbnid=GfEGxOIIPl_CYM:&imgrefurl=.&docid=R7g4JaDhrDhyRM&w=240&h=162&ei=mAtfTqmPK-vG0AGwoeGNAw&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=203&page=1&tbnh=129&tbnw=192&start=0&ndsp=25&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0&tx=118&ty=57

-Till next time, Darkest Original.


	11. Cullens

Ch.11 – Cullens

I notice that there are two people that I don't know are in the living room also. The male was about 6 feet tall and had a strange silvery blonde hair that I've never seen before. His arm was wrapped around the waist of the other woman beside him and I'm guessing that she's his mate. The woman was only a couple of inches taller than Alice, looked about 18 years old in her human life and had very pale blonde hair.

I took a closer look and noticed that bite marks that covered the male's body. I've only ever seen that once and that was when I ran into a nomad that was in the vampire wars. I know that Jasper was in them so then these to people must be friends of Jasper's or old allies.

"Would you like to sit?" I turn my head towards Carlisle who was the one that spoke.

I nod my head towards Garrett, indicating that he can sit if he wants. He moved over to one of the three chairs that must have been taken from the dining room. "No thank you," I said. "I'd rather stand."

"Alright then," Carlisle, and Esme sat to the right of me on one of the love seats while the two new people sat to the left of me on the other matching love seat. Alice, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett all had spot on the couch directly in front of me while Edward had a chair in between Carlisle's seat and Emmett's.

Rosalie looks me over before glaring at me. I can guess that she doesn't like being out shone in the looks department. I'm kinda glad now that I chose blonde, at first I thought that I'd look vain like Jessica Stanley but now I feel much better.

I glance over at Edward and for the first time since I stepped in the door, I _really_ look at him. His eyes are black and the bruises under his eyes are a deep purple. There is look of deep and utter sadness in his eyes but I don't know what it's about. My stomach fills with butterflies and I'm so confused. I'm kinda over him, right?

"I assume that you have something to tell us?" The new male said. Damn, I'll need to figure out their names, I can't just keep thinking of them as 'the new male' and 'the new woman'.

"I'm sorry but I don't think we've met before. What are your names?" I glance over everyone quickly, before looking Alice in the eye. She seemed to be out of it, the face that she gets when she's having a vision or is trying to have one. When she came out of it she seemed irritated but at what?

"I'm Carlisle and this is my wife Esme, Alice and Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie, Edward and some of Jasper's friends Peter and Charlotte. " Carlisle points out each person and I'm happy to have my thoughts correct.

"And what are your names?" Charlotte asks with her slight Southern accent.

Garrett glanced at me but when I didn't acknowledge him, he introduced himself.

"And what is your name, dear?" Esme asked.

I come up with a fake name and am about to say it when I think again. If I'm going to need their help in the war then they will have to at least know my real name because then the other vampires will be confused.

"My name is Isabella Swan," I say and barely get the last word out when Edward lunges at me.

"Your name is not that! Tell the truth!" Edward tries to grab my throat but I kick his hand away and light my hand on fire and push it towards his face. His eyes widen in fear but I don't give in. I don't let him touch my skin because I really don't want to hear everyone's thought all the time.

"That is my name, now sit _down_!" I don't let my voice get louder. I've learned that if you let your voice get low and barley controlled with anger, more people will listen to you.

Edward runs back to where he was sitting and I cut off the fire. "My name really is Isabella Swan and I'm here for only one reason. I have a stupid war coming up and I will need your help."

I look pointedly at Alice, hoping that she will get what I'm asking of her but from the blank look on her face, she doesn't. Damn. "Alice, do you have a day on when the Volturi will want to fight me?"

Alice's gaze doesn't focus on anything for a few moments until she comes out of her vision. "I can't see you but I can see that Aro wants to fight you on the 30th of June, exactly two months away. Then I can't see anyone anymore, so I'm assuming that that is when the war is."

I nod my head and take in the information. Will two months be enough to control my powers and get more help? It is quiet for quite some time, nobody knowing how to approach the subject of the war.

"What powers do you have?" Emmett always the excited guy about fighting and powers.

I raise my head towards the ceiling trying to think of what to say. I can't tell them what really happened to me of course but I could just tell them about my powers and not about my life.

"I can copy anyone's power at all and be able to use it. I have no limit on how many powers I can take so I can be very powerful." Everyone looks shocked but Carlisle is curious as always.

"Why is the war going on?" Carlisle asks.

"I had no desire to overthrow Aro, as he tells it but he thinks that I will. So he declared war on me and I've been asking other covens for help since." I say.

"How do we know that you aren't lying?" Rosalie asks; her face twisted in a sneer.

"Why would I lie?" I blink my eyes in confusion.

"To get us on your side!" Rosalie shrieks at me and everyone around visibly winces.

I smirk at the thought that just came to me and decide to play it out. "Dear, I didn't know that you had loyalties with Aro. I thought that he was a horrible ruler and would kill your entire coven the moment one of you did something wrong." I say like I'm talking to a second grader. I pout slightly while trying to keep my giggles in.

"He's been trying to kill us?" Alice asks in a small voice.

"Yes, yes but back to my story. I will overthrow Aro because this world needs a change and I'm the one that will do it but I will need help." Garrett nods slightly in agreement but doesn't say anything.

I watch the Cullen's closely, knowing that Edward will be hearing their thoughts. I see Edward nod his head slightly to Carlisle and wait for what Carlisle is going to say. "We will help you but I'm not sure what Peter will say."

I glance towards Peter but wait patiently. "We will help you also, it is time for change and we will help with that."

I release of breath that I had been holding and say, "Thank you," on a whisper.

"What are your powers?" Emmett asks his eyes wide in glee.

"I can only tell you of my first powers I got." Everyone nodded and waited patiently for me to continue. "I am a mental shield, you can't get into my mind at all but I'm not sure about what it all can do. I can also control fire and can change my appearance."

"So you don't really look like that?" Peter asks from where he is still sitting.

"Of course not, I'm not dumb enough to show my real identity, besides I've never been this shade of blonde." I say rolling my eyes at his question.

A silence descends upon us and I have no idea how to break it.

"Is your name really Isabella Swan," Esme asks hopefully.

"Yes, it is but I'm not who you think I am." I reply.

"Huh," everyone says. The Cullen's in confusion and Peter and Charlotte are completely confused.

"Why don't you go hunting but first give me your cell numbers so that I can contact you. This conversation is just between the Cullen's and me but I will call you when you can come back." I say nodding my head towards the door to dismiss them. Peter and Charlotte walk out the door and I realize that I don't want Garrett here either.

"Garrett can you leave also?" He nods his head and runs out the door.

I look out the glass wall to the right of me and try to gather my thoughts to make a convincible lie.

"I suppose you all have many questions but hopefully my story will answer them. Please try not to ask a question in the middle of my story, I get side tracked easily."

Everyone else nods their heads and I take in a deep breath.

"I met Bella when I was running through Forks. I smelt her amazing smell and decided to follow it but it kept crossing the border of La Push and I can't go over there."

The Cullen's hissed at that fact and I glared at them for interrupting me.

"I eventually found her; she knew exactly what I was and didn't seem scared at all. I was shocked at that and we soon became great friends. She'd visit me on the edge of the forest around her house when it was sunny out or I would be inside on her couch, waiting for her to get home from school. We'd always talk about nothing since we both didn't want to really speak of our past but we still have fun times.

"She helped me find my reason in life and changed my life for the better, I will _never_ forget her." I hiss the one word hoping to get my point across but I can't tell if it did or not.

"One night I decided to sneak into her bedroom and scare her the next morning when she woke up because it was slightly amusing watching her jump when she didn't realize I was there. But that didn't happen." I look back to the window and try to figure out what t say next. The pain from them leaving me was still their but I could work through it.

"Bella started screaming in her sleep, like she was having a horrible nightmare and I woke her up before Charlie could hear her. I asked her why she was screaming but she wouldn't say. She's almost as stubborn as me but I'm more stubborn. So she told me all about you guys." I hiss out the last sentence trying to make it seem like I hate them for what they did to her. Thankfully I didn't have to act much.

"She told me about everything. From the almost car accident, to the meadow, to meeting you guys, to James and finally to her birthday party and the days after. She told me of how you thought of her as a _toy_," I practically spit the word at Edward and everyone flinches again.

"You all know what he said to her don't you," I say pointing my finger to Edward. Everyone nods their heads slightly and I give a cold, harsh laugh. "She loved all of you so what do you think it would do to her if someone told her that she was just 'a toy' and that you 'didn't love her'?" I use my fingers as quotes and watch in satisfaction at the confused looks on their faces.

I take in a deep breath and try to release some of the pent up anger. It doesn't work.

"Did any of you, any at all, think of the consequences of you leaving Bella all alone?" I ask quietly, trying to keep my anger in check. "Any one?" I ask again.

Everyone slowly shakes their heads in confusion. "Assholes," I mutter under my breath but making sure that they can all hear me.

"Why? She was supposed to have a long, happy, human life." Carlisle says.

"That's not what she got." I say curtly.

"Of course not, she died in the car crash." Carlisle says.

"That's not what I'm talking about." I say snapping my head to the right to glare at him.

"Excuse me?" Carlisle asks, still confused. Wow, I've never made a large group of vampire this confused for 15 years.

I sit down in the chair that was left for me and lean back. Crossing my legs and giving off the feeling that this is something that happens all the time to me. I wait for the reaction as I say, "When I found her, in January, she was in the care of the Quileute shape shifters."

"What?" Everyone yells at me and I give a cruel smile and pretend to act dumb.

"The Quileute's are not real Children of the Moon, just shape shifters that change into wolves. Didn't you know that?"

"Of course you idiot! We were yelling about the fact that Bella put her life in those dog's hands." Alice yelled at me. I blink my eyes in shock for a moment simply because I've never had Alice yell at me like that.

"Well she had to have someone keep her and Charlie safe because she couldn't do it on her own." I snap at Alice and watch as she clutches Jasper's arm tightly.

"What do you mean?" Carlisle asks, always the one to diffuse fights.

"It seems that Victoria," Everyone hisses at that name. "Stop that or I won't tell you!"

Everyone immediately shuts up and look pleadingly at me to continue the story. "It seems that Victoria had come back and cornered Bella when she came home from school one day, thankfully Charlie wasn't home just yet. From what Bella told me, which wasn't much, Victoria had threatened her and Charlie but was stopped before attacking Bella by Jacob Black. He had showed up and chased Victoria away since he was in his wolf form."

Emmett narrows his eyes slightly in thought, "Black? Related to Ephraim Black?"

I nod slight, "it seems so. Anyways when I became her friend I would make sure she was safe but when I wasn't there to protect Bella, she would be on the reservation with the pack. I trusted them enough to keep her safe since one of the wolves had a crush on her. But the problem we had was how to keep Charlie on the reservation for most of the time without telling him. Unfortunately we never figured out how to keep him safe before the day of the car crash."

I put real sadness on my face at the fact that Charlie never knew exactly what life I had lived and that he was always in danger.

"The day that Bella died, I was coming back from a hunting trip and the pack was supposed to be watching her. Unfortunately the wolves took off after a fake trial of Victoria's scent but Bella thought that she was still protected and went home to be with Charlie. From what she told me, she had seen a flash of red in the trees and ignored it but when she got closed to the house she saw another flash and recognized it as Victoria's hair. Bella had run to the neighbors house as soon as she got out of her truck, wanting to let Victoria think that Bella was going to run to run for it, Bella had taken the neighbors car and was driving to Seattle when she called me and told me what had happened.

"I was on the phone with her when I heard the sound of someone pushing Bella's car into oncoming traffic. I heard every single one of her screams and they will haunt me for the rest of my existence because I wasn't fast enough to save her." I shook my head in fake self-loathing before looking at the Cullen's.

Edward was the first one I noticed. He had his face in his hands, his fingers pulling on his hair. I saw that his body was shaking almost violently and he was softly repeating 'no, no, no' over and over again. My heart clenches at the look on his face and his obvious agony. I try not to rub the place where my heart is and barely succeed. What the hell?

I glance at everyone else and see that everyone is shacking and dry sobbing.

I don't know why they are crying, they left me. But maybe it's because I made the story to intense or because they feel guilty. Probably the second one.

"I figured out who pushed her into traffic. It wasn't Victoria but Laurent. I had run into him when I was running to Bella and he was running away from the scene. I forced the answer out of him and he said that Victoria wanted to torture her so he made her death quick. I killed him after that and couple weeks ago, I killed Victoria."

Carlisle looks in despair at the wall to my left and whispers to himself, "She died knowing that she was in danger and that no one would be fast enough to save her. What did we leave her to face?"

I answer him even though it is obvious that he's speaking to himself. "You all essentially killed her but I'm happy that you left her. She became a stronger, street smart, more selfish person. At least she lived her final days with her family and learned more about the world in those months than in five years of school."

Everyone's face pales considerably and I almost think that I went a little too far. Almost. "I'm sorry that I'm so harsh but I hate what you did to her."

I let them think for a few moments before Edward speaks up for the first time since he yelled at me. "Why are you using Bella's name?" He whisper yells at me.

"Bella knew that her time would come one day and asks for only one thing. To be remembered somehow and I said that if I was alright with her, I'd take her name. She agreed and I've kept the name ever since."

"I did the same for Charlie since he was like another father for me." I say and then do the motion of a halo over my head.

Everyone cracks a small smile in my direction but then turn somber again. We sit for some time in silence, all of us in our own thoughts. I keep thinking that maybe I should tell them that I really am Bella but then that might just make an even bigger scene and I don't need any more drama today.

"Who changed you?" Jasper asks, clutching Alice's hand in his.

"Laurent did only two years before I met Bella, luckily I had remarkable control." I glance down at my watch and realize that I should get going.

"Well then I must go, I have things to do, people to meet, Volturi to kill." I wave my hand back and forth nonchalantly, like I do these things every day.

"I still can't believe that she is the on the Volturi are after," Jasper mumbles under his breath. I smirk at his words before answering him.

"Yes, they should be very afraid Jasper. I have killed before, I've even tried a human diet but I must say that they taste much too much like pollution for my liking." Everyone's gasps fill the silence after my sentence. I might as well give them as much details as I can, that might give them more reason to listen to me.

"I have only had three humans but only for a test of mine. I made sure to kill the vilest people out there so that I wouldn't be taking innocent lives. I was wondering if they tasted as good as they smell but it was a failure. Humans taste of what they have just eaten and all the hair products, soaps and pollution. While animals taste of the forest, a nice relaxing smell but this fact might just be true for me.

"Anyway, I have killed before and am perfectly capable of killing the scouts that the Volturi will be sending out but I will need more help in the war." I finish and everyone is looking at me in awe but I can tell that Carlisle is already thinking if what I said was true.

"Why can't you just kill all of the Volturi on your own?" Emmett asks.

"You know Emmett, curiosity kills the cat," Emmett looks at his fee sheepishly and my smirk turns in a Cheshire cat grin. "I can't tell you, anyone can be a spy, you know. " I turn and walk towards the door but stop suddenly.

"Wait," I say, remembering something. "Bella told me that if I ever saw you guys in the future to tell you this." I cringe at their hopeful expressions and change my mind about what I was going to say.

"Jasper, she said that she forgave you right away because since you have to deal with everyone's emotions, you also have to deal with their blood lust. So when Bella was bleeding you had to deal with Bella being Edward's singer and everyone else's bloodlust too and she understood that. She told me to tell you that there was nothing to forgive and to stop beating yourself up. And everyone else…" I trail off, trying to find the right thing to say. "Bella said that she understood that you all left because you deserve the life you would pick and didn't need to be always looking out and held back by a clumsy human."

Everyone still sits, shocked, and in their chairs when I open the door and run into the night. Finding Garrett and continuing on my journey to Denali. The last thought in my mind when we left the Cullen's being, 'I'll see you soon.'


	12. Spy

Ch.12 – Spy

Garrett hasn't said a thing since we left. I think that he wants to bring the subject up but doesn't know how and doesn't want to push.

I'm thankful for that.

We had just finished hunting after we left the Cullen's house and we are just about to start running to Denali again when Garrett finally spoke up.

"Bella?" Garrett said.

I looked over at where he was leaning again a spruce tree. "Yeah," I say.

Garrett stumbles for words and then shakes his head to clear his thoughts. "Never mind," he mumbles under his breath.

Garrett starts running towards the Alberta/British Columbia border but I stop him when we are 15 miles from the Cullen house. I thought that I heard whispering but I can't hear it now. I shake my head back and forth, I'm getting to paranoid. I'm about to just forget about it when the whispering starts again.

Garrett tilts his head in confusion but I just raise one finger to my lips in the universal sign to 'be quiet'. He nods his head in agreement and I jump up into the trees above us. Garrett follows right after me and we jump from tree to tree, following the voice.

We come upon an oval shaped clearing with growing grass and blooming flowers since its early May. In the middle of the clearing is a tall man with red hair. He is wearing a gray cloak over his clothes and has a cell phone up against his ear.

The conversation floats up to my ears and I freeze in shock. "Yes, she was there. It appears that they have some sort of past with each other… That's what I think, especially since they both knew the same person… No, not anymore… Yes, master."

Master? That's so weird. And what was about that conversation? I could tell that they were talking about me and maybe the Cullen's? But why would they be taking an interest in us?

The man snaps the phone shut and puts it in his cloak pocket and is about to run off south when Garrett speak up.

"Hey," he shouts from his spot twenty trees in my left. I quickly hide behind the trunk of the tree that I'm hanging on to and hope that the other vampire didn't see me.

I hear Garrett jump down from his tree and quickly run over to where the other vampire is standing. I peek out from behind the tree and almost let out a loud sigh in relief at the fact that Garrett is the one facing me and the other vampire has his back towards me.

Garrett's eyes flickered up to mine and the question in his eyes was clear. What do you what me to do?

I bit my lip and thought for a tenth of a second before mouthing to Garrett 'Who was he talking to?'

"Is this your territory?" Garrett asked, trying to sound nonchalant. And succeeding.

"No, no," the man shook his head back and forth.

"Well then that's good because I don't want to hurt you," what is Garrett getting at? Is he trying to scare the guy? If he is, it's not working. The man is keeping his cool and looks unconcerned.

"This isn't your territory." The guy said, tilting his head in confusion.

"I never said that it was," Garrett smirks at that and I have to admit that it is a good comeback.

"Who were you on the phone with?" Finally he gets to the point.

"I don't see how that's any of your business but the Volturi," As soon as he says 'Volturi' I completely freeze up.

That's who he was talking to on the phone about me knowing the same person. That was probably when I was speaking about the old me with the Cullen's. But why would that matter?

Oh my god. He's a spy and he's already told the Volturi who is helping me with the war and that we know the same person. That's not good at all. I have to warn them and get them to go into hiding.

I literally shake my head to clear my thoughts and lock my gaze on the man in front of me. My eyes narrow in anger. I leap from the tree that I was holding on to and slam into the man's back. We both go tumbling through the clearing but I don't loosen my grip on the man's shoulders one bit.

When we finally stop, I am sitting on his chest with one hand holding him down and the other hand on fire pulled back behind my head.

"What's your name?" I hiss through clenched teeth, making sure to keep a good amount of force on the hand holding him down.

"Why should I tell you?" The man tries to sound defiant but I can tell that he's really scared at what will happen next. I focus on using Siobhan's gift to will the man to share his name and anything else I ask him.

"Because you will," I say. I unclench my jaw a bit so that I can speak easier and repeat my question. "What's your name and why are you here?"

"My name is C-Chad… and I'm here to look for Isabella Swan."

"Found her," I barley manage to growl out and I'm guessing that my eyes must be blazing in my anger because Chad tries to move away from me.

"What did you tell your _masters_?" I sneer over the word and wonder briefly how much it would hurt if I didn't tear him apart when I will burn him.

"That the Cullen's are important to y-y-ou." Chad barley finishes his last words before I rip his head from his body. I quickly dismember him and throw him into a newly made fire.

I let out a shaky breath and run my hand through my hair, feeling the heat from the fire to my right. "You should keep heading up to Denali without me. I have some things that I need to take care of." I say.

I glance to my left and finally take notice that Garrett hadn't moved from where he was talking to Chad. His eyes wide are wide in shock but he manages to nod his head to my order.

"Don't tell them who I am, just say that you and a friend were coming to ask about their way of life when I had to take care of something. I'll be there in a day or so but if you don't want to go to Denali anymore then just give me your number and I'll tell you where to meet us for the attack." I close my eyes, trying to let my anger fade away but it won't leave.

"I still plan on going to Denali, so I'll see you there but don't get in anymore fights, okay?" Garrett's tone turns light and teasing and I let out a short laugh.

He leaves soon after and I drop my fake appearance, voice and smell. Sometimes I feel like everything is moving much too fast and I just need a few moments to just…breathe.

When I'm feeling a little better, I pull out my phone and quickly dial Carlisle's number. I listen to the phone ring and ring and for a quick second, I think that they aren't going to not answer me.

But then Carlisle's voice echoes through the telephone line. "Hello?"

I don't say any pleasantries, knowing that we don't have enough time for that. "Trust me when I say run. Don't use any credit cards, just stay low." I snap my phone shut and am putting it away when I realize something.

I didn't change my voice. Oh, shit. They are probably wondering why someone that sounds like Bella was calling them. Shit, shit, _shit_. I take in a couple deep breaths and try to relax but nothing seems to be working. All I can hope is that they listen to me and will get themselves out of the house. I could call them again but then they might not trust me because of the fact that I have two different voices or because they are already gone.

I'll just have to hope that they listened to me and already on their way to somewhere remote.

Line break

A little while later, I'm in the middle of British Columbia running and hunting occasionally. Right now I'm chasing after a deer, I would overtake it if I wanted to but right now I'm in for the chase.

The deer jumps over fallen logs and dunks under low branches, trying to out run me but I keep to its trail. Soon I'm about to just end its life because this is no longer amusing to me when it spot a wolf. The wolf is jet black and tilts its head to the side, his ears flopping on his head. I almost let out a laugh at the fact that the wolf looks almost like a dog does.

I freeze because I'm in thought and don't even acknowledge the outside world. Dog…wolf…black…

Black! Oh, my. I'm going to have to go and see Jacob before this war. I don't need to tell him who I am but it would probably be better if I did. I mean if I just say 'hey' and 'goodbye' to Jacob and then run off without him knowing who I am he'll be so confused. But then again, he'll be so mad at me because I didn't contact him over the years.

Oh to hell with it! I thought and ran towards the La Push border. Leaving the deer and wolf behind me and just focusing on my one destination. The thought running through my mind the whole way there was _'Don't be mad Jake, please don't be mad.'_

**APOV (Alice)**

I can't believe that we hurt Bella that much. It just can't be possible; she was supposed to have a happy, carefree, and slightly less dangerous life. Not to be hunted by a ruthless killer and forced to take safety with smelly, temperamental werewolves! _Uh, this is your fault Edward! _I thought towards him but then backed off a bit with the rude words when he visibly winced.

Peter and Charlotte just got back from hunting but didn't ask what 'Bella' wanted to talk to us about, I think that they knew from the pained expressions on our faces that the subject was touchy.

I turn my head to face my Jazzy and smile when I see his face. I couldn't imagine my life without Jasper but I think that it would be like what Edward is going through now and what he's gone through before.

I check to see if the future has cleared at all and it has until it suddenly gets uncertain again. I know that the only person able to do that is 'Bella' but I can't hear her running towards the house so she must be calling us soon.

"Bella's going to call soon," I mumble out from under my breath and wince at how familiar that sounds. Why did we have to leave? I ask myself again.

The phone starts ringing right when I can't see anything in all of our immediate futures. I give Carlisle a look and then move my eyes to the phone, clearly saying that he should answer it. Carlisle puts the cell on speak phone, letting everyone hear what Bella has to say. "Hello?" Carlisle asks.

"Trust me when I say run. Don't use any credit cards, just stay low." The line disconnects and my eyes widen and I think that everyone else's in the family did too. Was that the real Bella? It had to be, it was her voice! There was no way that I could mistake that voice at all. No way.

But she's dead, she can't speak. I quickly try to check for the human Bella's future, I search and search but I can't get an image. But that doesn't make any sense! If she was on the phone then she must be alive.

But it could be vampire Bella and just accidently used the old Bella's voice. But why would she do that on a phone call? I speak my theories with the rest of the family and they agree with me but we don't know whether or not to follow the information. I mean, why would we have to run? And why you vampire Bella use human Bella's voice instead of the one she used at the house? It makes no sense even for my mind.

I think that we'll just stay here; I mean nobody knows that we spoke with vampire Bella other than Peter and Charlotte, vampire Bella and Garrett. And they won't rat powerful vampire Bella out to the Volturi.

I think that we are perfectly safe here. We just have to sit here and wait for the war. Yup, perfectly safe.


	13. Boss Man

Ch.13 – Boss Man

I have just passed Seattle when I thought for a moment. When I was in Mexico, speaking to the other clan of shape shifters, they told me that their pack started up again when they sensed a vampire in both their land and about 5 miles of land surrounding their land. I shouldn't go to La Push then or even to Forks really, just in case that I might set the wolf gene off again and I don't want to ruin their lives like that.

I'll just ask Jake to meet me somewhere close enough for him to get there but far enough that I'm not close to La Push or the area surrounding it.

*Line Break*

I'm now sitting in La Bella Italia, wondering if what I'm going to do is right. I mean, Jake's probably forgot about me and if I come into his life again, I could mess things up. I have changed my appearance back to the fake disguise I used to Charlie's funeral the day. At the funeral I couldn't change my entire appearance so I just had an itchy wig on but this time my hair is the same bright red color. I thought about changed my face shape but then I tossed that thought away because Jake would notice that something is different about my from the last time he saw me.

Completely from memory I dial Jacob's old house number, wondering if he is still living there. I don't have much time to think before a deep, "Hello?" echoes through the line.

I swallow hard as say, "Is Jacob Black there?"

The person on the other line pauses before speaking, "Yes, may I ask what you need to speak to him about?"

"No, I'm afraid that that is private." I say.

"Okay, give me a minute." The man says before yelling for Jake to come to the phone.

I hear Jake tell the man that he's coming and to stop yelling. I let out a quiet laugh at that, it seems that he's the same old Jake.

"Yes?" Jake's voice comes out to the phone line and I can't help the smile that graces my face when I hear his voice.

"Yes, my name is Violet and I have some news on Isabella Swan, if you'd like to hear it." I say.

I hear Jake's quick intake of air before he starts rambling, "Of course, I do. Where are you?" I cut him off quickly.

"How about I meet you at La Bella Italia in Port Angeles in an hour?" I lean back in the booth that I have and rest my feet on the chair across from me.

"Of course, see you there." Jacob says.

"See you soon, Mr. Black." I end the call and put away my phone before letting my head fall back onto the seat gracelessly.

I let out a long sigh and note that that phone call went better than I thought it would. I stay in the booth as long as I can before the waitress starts to look at me funny because I have been there for so long.

It was almost closing time when I heard a distance rumble of a truck coming in this direction. Getting out of my chair, I head out the door and wait outside the building. I see Jacob pull up and open his door, I decide that I don't want this conversation to be made public and head towards the woods. Jacob follows me but at a good distance.

I decide to stop about twenty feet in when I see another small clearing. What is it about woods and clearings? I turn and lean again one of the trees, waiting for Jacob to catch up with me. When he finally does, I can't help the smile that I give him, Jake doesn't look a day over 50 even thought he should be in his late sixties. But his hair is now salt and pepper colored and there are worry lines on his face.

I'm about to introduce myself when the wind blows my scent in his direction. Jake crouches in a defensive position and growls at me. "What are you doing here bloodsucker? You said that you would stay off our land." Jacob growls out at me in a much deeper voice than I'm used to.

"I'm not on your land; I made sure that I didn't touch your land. I guess that you've already figured out that I'm not really Charlie's niece." I say.

"Of course, Charlie never had any siblings. Now leave." I still can't believe that Jacob is this angry but I guess I would be too if I was in his position.

I smirk at his actions but raise my hands in a surrender position before saying something that will shock him completely. "Jacob Black, is that any way to treat your best friend?"

Jake completely freezes; the only sign that he is moving is the rise and fall of his chest and the widening of his eyes. He shakes his head back and forth, trying to regain his thoughts. "You are no friend of mine." Jacob spits out at me and turns to go but I speak up again.

I can't just let him leave, id never forgive myself for not telling him when I had the chance. "Jake, that really hurt dude." I let my appearance drop and wait for him to turn around again.

I'm not disappointed because not even five seconds later Jake turns around with utter fury in his eyes. But it melts into a look of confusion when he recognizes me.

"B-Bella?" He stutters out at me and I barely have time to nod my head before I'm being crushed in one of Jake's famous hugs. I wince at the smell of him but hug him back.

"Bells what happened to you? And you stink." He laughs at that before looking at me suspiciously. "Wait how do I know that you really are Bella?"

I laugh the question off but let him have his questions. "Ask me something only Bella would know."

He ponders the question for a moment before speaking, "What was our deal about the motorcycles?"

I roll my eyes but answer. "I gave you the black motorcycle and you'd teach me how to ride them in exchange. But first you had to fix them, which you did."

I really don't think that Jake was expecting that answer because his eyes widened once more and his heart starts pounding in his chest, and I start to fear for his health. He is getting old; maybe coming here won't be good for his heart.

"Why don't we sit down and talk?" I ask him and sit down against the tree that I was leaning on before. Jake follows my lead and sits against the tree to my left.

I try to think of a way to start and even open my mouth a couple times to begin, but am stopped because of another way to tell him. But unfortunately none of them seem right.

"I don't know where to start," I say simply.

"How about the beginning?" Jake cracks a small smile at that.

And so I do, I tell him about why I was in the clearing and the fact that I saw the wolves there while I was changing. Jacob admits that he saw me on the ground but never thought that I would be changing, just that I was on death's door and he couldn't do anything for me.

"Wait, how do you know about werewolves?" Jacob asks.

"I met a pack of them near the border of Mexico and learned what I could about them. I started comparing facts about them and you and came to the conclusion that you guys were shifters. I know everything about shifters thanks to them but I can't go on their land or they'll kill me." Jacob starts growling at that and I quickly explain. "I never go down there anyway and it is there job, I can't get mad at them for that."

Then I tell him about my travels and I'm always expecting him to explode at me but he doesn't, that is until I get to Charlie's funeral.

"That was you! Why didn't you tell me? It would have saved a lot of worry about the reservation and I could have known that my best friend was alive for a little while longer." His voice was loud at the beginning but quieted down to a whisper near the end.

"Jake, what do you think would happen if the long dead daughter of Charlie Swan magically appeared at his funeral? I didn't want anyone to know and that would just cause more problems." I say and continue my tale.

"I guess that sounds reasonable…" Jake trails off, lost in thought.

I clear my throat and smile when Jake jumps. "How about you tell me what you've been up to now."

"Sure, sure. Um… well, after you left dad and I would make sure Charlie was okay and stuff like that. Then about 8 years later, I met her. My imprint, you do know what that is right?" Jake tilts his head and I let out a laugh, thinking that he looks just like a dog.

"Yes, Jake but do you know that you look like a dog when you do that?" Jake straightens his neck out so fast that I'm worried about his spine and other bones.

"Anyway, I met Chloe and we hit it off, and she didn't care at all that I was a werewolf! I couldn't believe it at all, I kept asking her if she was sure until she punched me in the arm." Jake laughs at the happy memory and I can't help laughing along with him. "Luckily she didn't break anything but I got the point. Then we got married and had two kids, Frank and Lily. They're both grown up now, Frank is working as a lawyer in New York and Lily is in medicine in Los Angeles. Frank married Mary, confident as hell that woman." Jacob laughs at probably some memory by the faraway look that he gets. "And Lily married Greg; both of them have two kids of their own now."

"Thankfully, neither of them went through the change and I'm very happy to say that no other kids have either." Jake finishes.

"Yeah, I was worried about that since I was in Forks for the funeral and when I came here, I didn't want to go to close to your land and trigger some of the werewolf genes in the kids." Jake lays an arm over my shoulders, leaning back against the tree.

"Bells, you're too selfless, you know that right?" Jake asks me.

I playfully shove him and laugh it off before answering, "Yeah, but I might as well do something for others while I can, right?"

"Of course, you'll be the first vampire to 'save the world'." Jake just cracks up at that and is clutching his stomach in his fit of laughter.

"Ha ha ha." The sarcasm practically drips from my voice. "So are you the boss man now?"

Jake's cheeks turn slightly pink from embarrassment and I let out a laugh. "Yeah, I guess so. I've been Chief since I was about 25, I always thought that I wouldn't want the job, but now I know that it's a fun position. Slightly worrying because I have to take care of all of the Rez but other than that, I love it."

"That's good Jake, I'm proud. Who answered the phone today?" I say.

"That was Frank, both him and Lily are home to see us for the weekend and brought the kids with them."

"Hey Jake, what happened to Billy? Is he still at La Push?" I ask quietly.

Jake's face turns from happiness to sorrow and I regret bringing up the subject now. Jake clears his throat before speaking, "Um… he passed away a couple months after Charlie's funeral from old age."

I reach out and gently place a hand on Jake's shoulder and he flinches at the cold feeling of my skin. I automatically pull my hand back but he snatches it back and just holds it in his own. We sit there is silence for a while both of us in our own thoughts but giving our support to one another.

Hey Jake, you want to finish talking in your truck? That's got to be uncomfortable." I wave my hand towards his back which is resting against the tree still.

"Yeah, sure." Jake and I both leave the forest and head for his old truck. Jake gets into the driver's seat and I get into the passenger's seat. We both sit facing each other, leaning against the doors and windows.

I take in a deep breath, hold it and close my eyes. I stay like that for a couple second before slowly letting the breath out and opening my eyes again. "Jake, I have something to tell you but I know that you won't like it."

"Alright, Bella." Jake says.

"Um… well. In the vampire world, vampires only have one power, if that. But I don't."

"What do you mean Bells?" Jake asks.

"I can have as many powers as I want, without many consequences other than the fact that if I use too much power, I could die without being ripped apart and burned." I finish quickly.

Jake's eyes slowly widen in shock and I sit and wait for him to digest the information. It doesn't take long because he soon speaks up, "And why wouldn't I like that? I mean, you're freakin' powerful Bells!"

His voice changes from confusion to happiness by the end of the sentence and I hate to be the one to ruin his mood.

"Yeah that's pretty awesome except for the part where the leaders of the vampire world have declared war to kill me and anyone who helps me." I nervously twist my hands together, an old human habit I didn't get rid of.

"What? Bella you can't fight them, no matter how powerful you are." Jake explodes at me and continues to ramble but under his breath this time. So quiet that if I wasn't a vampire then I wouldn't have heard him, "Stupid girl trying to fight the leaders, I mean she couldn't possibly be able to get enough powers in time. Could she? And what about the part of her dying? Even if she gets help, she'll try to do most of the work herself. Stupid, stupid girl."

"Jake, Jake, Jake." I put my hands in front of his face to draw his attention, "I'll be fine, I have people helping me and I'm getting more."

"That's fine but what about powers; I mean if these guys are the leaders, they must be powerful?"

"Yeah but I've getting more powers and I'm practicing. Don't worry Jake." I said softly, hoping he won't explode again.

Jake takes a few deeps breaths before speaking again, "All right, but what about your powers?"

One corner of my mouth lifted up, "I've been practicing, and I'll be fine. I just wanted you to know if I won't be able to talk to you for the next month or so." I lie, not saying the fact that I could die during the war. But from the look in Jacob's eyes, he knows what I'm not saying.

"All right Bells but be careful, and keep in touch while you can." Jake grabs my hands and holds it tight in his.

"I'm sorry I didn't talk to you before Jake, I don't really know why I didn't." I mumble under my breath, looking down at my lap.

"Hey its fine, I'd rather know what happened all those years ago now, then never knowing what happened at all." Jake squeezes my hand again.

"Goodbye Jake, I'll see you soon." I say, trying to memorize his face and voice before opening the door and disappearing into the night.


	14. Denali

Ch. 14 – Denali

It had taken about a day and a half to get to Denali.

At first when I left Port Angeles, I thought about what I knew about the Denali's. They all hunt animals of course, Tanya, Kate and Irina are adoptive sisters but their sire, Sasha, is dead. Sasha created an immortal child and was killed by the Volturi for her crimes. Tanya, Kate and Irina don't have mates but the two newest members, Carmen and Eleazar are mated.

Eleazar is the one that can tell what type of powers you have, and he was part of the Volturi guard before. Hopefully he will be able to help me with information on the volturi during my stay. Kate is the only other one with powers, she supposedly is able to generate an electric like current on her hands or all over her body and can shock vampires into unconsciousness for a second or two. Knowing Garrett, always the curious one, he probably already tried it. Idiot.

The clean, fresh air felt good in my lungs and the clouds were practically sticking to the tall trees around me. The smell of the damp ground and the fresh rain fall still heavy in the air. The Denali house should be coming up in a few minutes so I took a chance to be at peace before the inevitable questions and maybe fighting.

At house, I knock but only because I want to appear friendlier and have a little more time than I thought I did in Ireland. The door is soon opened by a tall strawberry blonde curly haired vampire. She didn't look at me in a fearful way or an apprehensive way so Garrett must've stuck to his word and didn't tell them much about me. I'm lead inside, past the kitchen to the right and the dining room to the left, instead going all the way to the back of the house to the living room.

Garrett is sitting on one of the couches beside a pale blonde haired girl, holding hands. A silvery blonde haired female sits alone until the one that opened the door for me sits next to her, leaving the two brown haired mates on the last couch. If I'm correct, the male is Eleazar and the woman beside him is his mate Carmen.

I turn to look at Garrett again, silently asking him how much he's told them, he shakes his head, indicating that he hasn't told them much. I let out a small sigh and speak, "Well I guess you want to know who I am?"

The Denali's all nodded slowly and waited patiently for me to speak. "Don't freak you but my name is Isabella Swan."

Everyone's eyes, except for Garrett's, widen at the name and I watch as the strawberry blonde stands up quickly and growls at me. "Do you have any idea what you just did?"

She doesn't wait for me to answer, "Of course, not bitch. You have no fucking clue!"

I'm taken aback a bit; no one's ever called me a bitch. Especially after just meeting me. Something inside me snaps, I was never one for violence but over the past couple of weeks it seems that the only way to get things done is to make them happen forcefully. I never liked the fact that I would kill the Volturi but I knew that it needed to be done but with this blonde bimbo calling me a bitch for trying to save everyone pushes me over the edge. I can feel my eyes take of a darker color and any resemblance of friendliness leaks from my face.

"Listen bitch. I have had everything taken away from me for some stupid war that I don't want to be a part of. So don't tell me that I have no fucking clue what the Volturi have done to my life because it is so clear to me and every day I want to go back to my normal life." I finish and let out a huff at the fact that she doesn't have a clue at what I'm going through.

Carmen rises from her spot even though Eleazar lightly tries to pull her back down. She ignores him and instead pulls him up beside her and then elbows him in the ribs. Eleazar clears his throat before speaking, "Sorry about Tanya, the Volturi is a touchy subject for her and the others."

Well of course the Volturi is a touchy subject; it would be to anyone if their sire was killed before you over an immortal child. Tanya is the strawberry blonde's name, that's much better than calling her strawberry blonde all the time or bitch.

"Of course." I smile slightly at Eleazar, "Can I explain, well everything?"

He nods his head with a reassuring smile and I find myself smiling back. Everyone sits down while I pace back and forth, starting from the very beginning to the last couple of days. Since Garrett hasn't heard any of this, he was quite shocked at the depth of my story.

After I finished my story everyone sat in silence, letting it sit and thinking of questions. Then the bitch who yelled at me when I came here stood up, "I'm sorry about the things I said to you. You're right, I didn't know what you had been through and had no right to say those things, please accept my apology."

"I accept your apology. I would have done the same thing if I was in your position too." I say. I notice that the silvery blonde woman is glaring daggers at me and looks like she is trying to figure something out. I swear that I'd be dead by the power of her glare if I wasn't already.

I was going to ask one of the blonde people something but I don't know their names. Damn this sucks. Carmen must have picked up on where my thoughts were going because she said, "As you know, I'm Carmen, my mate Eleazar, Tanya, Kate" she points to the pale blonde haired woman sitting by Garrett, "and Irina." She points out the silvery blonde person next.

"Why did you come here?" Kate asks me.

"To ask for your help in the war, I know you might want to help me due to your pasts but I figured I'd ask anyway." I shrug and try to pretend it's not a big deal.

"Of course we'll help you, if not for the sake of the world then to get revenge for our mother. Those Volturi scum need to know what they've been causing others all these years." Kate's voice turns dark and deadly and I'm very glad that she's on my side.

"I'm also here because someone told me that Eleazar could help me control my powers and he could help me detect others powers." I say glancing over at Eleazar.

He nods his head in thought before answering, "Yes, I can do that I suppose. When would you like to start?"

"How about now?" I say glancing at everyone in the room; they all nod their heads in agreement.

Line break.

We are currently outside that house in what looked like a clearing made for fighting practice. I wonder if the Cullen's used this clearing to practice when they would stay with the Denali's.

Eleazar is pacing in front of me, both hands twisting together in thought. "Well, Bella I'm getting a few powers off of you, so I'm not sure which ones you need me to help you with. Could you explain maybe?"

I take in a deep breath even though I don't need it, "I can use fire, I can tell the truth from lies, I can will a situation to go the way I want it, I can give people good or bad luck, I can change my appearance and I have something I call an extreme shield. There's also this power that I got from someone but I'm not sure what it completely does."

"Which ones can you control the best?" Eleazar stops pacing to look at me with complete interest. Now I think I know why Eleazar and Carlisle got along so well, they both are curious by nature.

"Um… the fire, the willing a situation to go the way I want I, telling lies from the truth, giving people good or bad luck and the changing of appearance." I quickly change my outward appearance to look like Eleazar and smile at his shocked expression. I change back to look like myself because I don't know what would happen if I spoke out of Eleazar's body. Is it possible for vampires to have panic attacks, since they can't have a heart attack?

On the way across Canada I was practicing giving people good or bad luck. It seems that I can give them the bad luck and it will stay that way until I take it away. The telling apart lies form the truth is relatively easy because when someone lies I feel this twinge in my chest that practically screams at me that they are lying. That will be a good power. Then also in Canada, there was going to be a car accident on a deserted road because the driver was drunk. I willed for him to pull over to the side of the road and then willed him to call a friend to drive him home.

Eleazar clears his throat and blinks rapidly before speaking, "Well I can feel that you do have good control over those powers and the others I have a good feeling about how to help you there."

"Really?" I ask, smiling genuinely for I think the first time in weeks.

"Yes, of course. Now you said that you have an 'extreme shield'? Can you explain that maybe?"

"Yeah, well when I was human Edward couldn't read my mind. But I didn't know if I had any powers when I was changed. When I found Alice's phone number, I called her but she didn't know who I was either time I called her. I started wondering how she couldn't see me and connected the dots between Edward not reading my mind and Alice not seeing me. So extreme shield, no one can use their mental gifts on me." I say.

"That is true that no mental gifts work on you but I can get some things from you but that might be because my gift deals with both the mind and the body. I have a theory though that you can expand you shield to cover other people inside it. Have you tried that?" Eleazar finishes.

I never thought that I could expand my shield; if I did I would have been working on it. If I can expand my shield than I can protect others and won't need to kill off Jane and Alec on my own.

"No, I've never tried that. I didn't know but could you help me?" I ask looking around at everyone. Irina is still glaring at me but hasn't said anything, like she is thinking about doing something.

They all look awed at what Eleazar said but are beginning to see that this war might win in my favor.

"I can make an electric current. Before I could only direct that current into my hands but now I can spread it across my skin. I can't get it to do any more but it would be much helpful if it did." Kate says, still holding hands with Garrett. I'm beginning to think that they are mates and I think I'm about 80% right this time.

"Yes we could help you and if I'm right about your shield than I'm probably right that you could lift it completely away from you so, as an example, Kate could shock you."

My jaw must be on the ground by now; I just am completely shocked at the depth of my original power. I never thought it could be so helpful and I'm very happy that I decided to come here.

"W-w-wow," I finally manage to stutter out. "I never thought that it could do that much." I say.

Eleazar laughs threw his nose at what I said. I'm confused and about to ask him what that was about when he notices my expression. "I didn't mean to be rude; I just wasn't finished what I said before."

"Go on," I say cautiously.

"You can take in any powers you want, correct?" I nod my head slowly.

"Well I heard rumors about Trevor, the only other vampire that could come close to your power, and many said that if he didn't want to ever use on power of his, he could think about locking it away and it wouldn't affect him at all. I believe that this is true for you also if you had say Jasper's power, and you didn't want it then you'd just lock it up and when you need it, take it out. Simple."Eleazar had started pacing while he was starting but stopped and turned to look at me.

"Just like that? Lock it up? And I wouldn't ever need to worry about it popping up and messing things up?" I say, very unconvinced at what he's saying but my gut feeling tells me to listen to him.

"Yes, of course." He simply says and returns to his pacing. Probably still thinking over everything.

Irina who had stayed quiet ever since I had told them of my change suddenly spoke up. "It's your fault that he's dead." She whispers, as if she had just come to that revelation. "It's your fault!" She yells louder and points her finger towards me.

"Huh?" I ask, completely confused. What my fault? More specifically what's my fault that he's dead? And who's he?

Kate darts over to my side and leans towards me. "Irina's mate was Laurent, the one who changed you and killed by the wolves." She whispers into my ear.

My eyes slowly widen in realization. Irina thinks that it's my fault that Laurent's dead. I guess that's sorta true but it was his fault that he was going to try and kill me when we were so close to the boarder of La Push.

But it's not completely my fault! I didn't kill him, he killed me! So how can she blame me!

I'm thrown from my thoughts when Irina ploughs into me. I shocked into action and throw her off me. She lands on the other side of the clearing just as I get up and Kate and Eleazar go and hold her down from making another attack. My temper hasn't been the best since this whole war started but ever since I saw the Cullen's, my patience level has dropped dramatically. It was a real test of self-control that I didn't snap at Tanya when she was yelling at me. But right now, with all this stuff that's going on, I just need to lash out and just…break something. Even if that means breaking a finger…or an arm. Either one, I don't care which one.

I rush towards Irina and pull my right arm back but this time I don't light my hand on fire. I punch her in the nose as hard as I can, and am so satisfied by the crack that sounds throughout the clearing. Irina's head snaps back and a crack shows from the tip of her nose up to her hairline.

"I did not kill Laurent," I say forcibly.

"Yes, you did! It was your fault that he was killed by those stupid wolves. He was trying his hardest to change lifestyles and you probably sabotaged that." She hisses at me and I blink a couple of times at the viciousness in her voice.

"It's not my fault that Laurent attacked me, it's his. And it's not my fault that the wolves killed him because he was a vampire feeding off of a human. Let him go and get on with your life." I say gently trying to get her to see the truth and not what she thought she saw in Laurent.

Irina starts laughing so hard and high pitched that I think that maybe she went off the deep end. I glance at the others hoping that they knew what was going on but they looked just as wary as me. No one knew what might come from Irina when she was in this state.

I've heard stories of mates who just lost their mate that either go into a deep depression or get someone to kill them or go into a rage and swear revenge on whoever killed their mate. I really don't want her to swear revenge because then she might try to kill me or the pack and I told her where they live. We don't know for sure what she will do, so we try and calm her down and get her rational.

"What you gonna do? Kill me? Either way I'm going to die, just depends on who does it and in what situation." Irina says in a high pitched voice, still laughing crazily. Her head is thrown back and sobers somewhat when we stare at her funny.

"What do you mean different situations and different people?" Tanya asks carefully from her spot beside me. She was shocked before at my display of aggression but has snapped out of it. – Tanya

"I don't think it should tell you," she practically sings and I don't doubt for a minute that I won't be able to forget that sound. "I think the Volturi need to know what she's up to and what powers she has so that they can kill her quickly." Irina whispers towards us and my eyes widen so much that I think for a moment that they are going to fall out of my head.

Eleazar and Kate give each other a _look_ and seem to be having a silent conversation. I guess that they disagree on something because both of their faces get more frustrated.

Finally Kate cracks, "No I'm not killing my sister Eleazar, and I won't."

"Would you rather die at the hands of the Volturi if she tells them or kill the Volturi because of what they have made us do?" Eleazar snaps at her.

Kate heaves a heavy sigh before looking at Tanya; they both have the same silent conversation and nod their heads at the decision. This happens for a couple more seconds while the rest of their family decides what to do. I think I have a pretty good idea about what's going to happen and I'm proven right. Kate steps around to face Irina and cradles her face between her palms. Kate quietly whispers, "I'm sorry," before ripping Irina's head from her body. Irina's screams echo around the field for a few moments before falling quiet.

I close my eyes and try to fight back the waves of guilt that keep crashing against me but it's no use. Especially when I hear the soft sobs from Kate, Tanya and Carmen while Eleazar and Garrett start the fire. The fire roars in my eyes, and I can feel the heat from where I am standing. A strange noise sounds from my chest and it takes a moment to figure out that I'm dry sobbing.

I never meant to hurt anyone and it seems like wherever I go, I end up hurting someone. I can't get away from it, it seems.

The waves of guilt just keep coming and I'm surprised that I haven't collapsed under the sheer weight yet. My chest heaves and I try to get air into my lungs even though I don't need it. My head is pounding and if my heart was still beating, it would be racing very fast.

"I'm so sorry," I barley choke out and open my eyes. The Denali coven is looking at me strangely but sympathetically too. Garrett looks so out of place for a minute before going over to Kate to comfort her.

Another sob escapes my chest before running out into the forest around us. I call over my shoulder, "I'll be back soon," before trying to numb myself. It doesn't work and I let the waves of grief wrap around me, praying that they will be over soon.

They all give the consent to kill her even though it's killing a sister. Bella kills her and says she's sorry before going off to hunt.


	15. Testing, Testing

Ch. 15 – Testing, Testing

"Come on Bella, work! You can do it!" Kate yells from where she is currently shocking Eleazar with her power. Eleazar flinches and I feel guilty because he shouldn't have to be helping me with this part of the experiment. Kate supposedly has her power on low but sometimes I think she cranks it up a notch because she wants to get back at Eleazar for some of the things he's done. Well, that's what I'd do in her situation too.

I push my shield out to surround about two feet in diameter and try to make it stretch to cover Eleazar who is about ten feet away. I grunt a little and breathe out heavily as I push the shield out another two feet. My best reach so far has been only eight feet in diameter but it has been getting better the more I practice.

It seems like my shield doesn't want to leave my brain because it wants to protect me. There was nothing to get a hold of, nothing to grab in my mind and pull it out to protect others. It was like there was a clear elastic rubber band that I couldn't grab a hold of and if I did, it was too strong and would snap back into place in my head. I have asked Eleazar about it and he says that it might be because I m subconsciously still trying to protect myself from harm.

I pushed the stretchy material again and it flowed more easily. Probably because I have been working so long and its now very easy to push my shield out the eight feet that I can. I check the shield and am happy to notice that there is no threat of a tear.

"Eleazar back up five feet," Tanya calls from beside me. She can tell when Eleazar is under my protection because he no longer flinches when Kate touches him.

Eleazar does so quickly and Kate follows after him. She gives me a couple seconds to breath before reaching out a hand to touch Eleazar's shoulder. I force my shield to move again and my breath whooshes out in a huff. But it makes it to Eleazar in time. He doesn't flinch and I relax a bit but that proves to be a mistake.

As soon as I relax a bit, my shield snaps back into places and Kate touches Eleazar again. She notices that he flinches and turns to look at me. I'm bent over, hands on my knees trying to get my nonexistent breath.

"You wanna stop Bella?" Kate asks true concern in her voice.

Everyone thinks that Kate is sadistic when using her gift but I know that she hates using her gift on others. You'd only know this if you were very close to her and the family. They've all grown attached to me and are always concerned about how hard I push myself.

I had told them what happens when I don't practice my gifts as much and now they are always watching me, making sure that I'm not going to collapse on them because I was secretly pushing my powers more than I should.

"Give me a minute Kate," I pant out and sit down. My body should never get tired because I'm a vampire so it's very weird and unsettling when I get exhausted from so much training.

"Okay bells, we'll go back to work later." She says happily and practically bounces towards me but not before zapping Eleazar again. Boy I don't know what he did to her exactly but he must know now not to do that again. I for sure wouldn't want to be in his position.

"Hey!" Eleazar shouts indignantly, jumping away from Kate and running to stand by Carmen. Thankfully she had been really good during the whole practice even though it had to hurt to see your mate in pain. But she understands, knowing that Eleazar should be practiced on since he could help me with my powers more. I think that Carmen is my new role model.

Kate sits down on my right and Tanya sits on my left, all three of us just staring off into the trees lost in our thoughts for the moment.

When I came back from my hunting trip after killing Irina, we all decided not to speak of the topic. I had apologized profusely for the damage that I had caused but no one would hear it, saying that it wasn't my fault that Irina wanted to go to the Volturi. They also pointed out that it was better for her to be with her mate instead of being in so much pain from being away from him. We then decided not to speak of it but sometimes I still catch Kate or Tanya looking off in the forest with saddened expressions. I know that they try to cover it up but I know that they are still grieving for their lost sister.

I literally shake my head, trying to dislodge where my thoughts were going. I look up and notice that Kate and Tanya have now stood up and are looking down at me, waiting patiently for me to get up. We walk into the house again and all sit down. I believe that Eleazar wanted to tell me something after my training.

Eleazar soon walks in with Carmen coming behind him, it seems like they were having a heavy make out session because their hair is all of out places and their eyes are bright. I let out a small giggle at that.

"Bella, you now that I was with the Volturi for a time, correct?" He asks.

I shake my head quickly, "No I didn't know that," I pause and think about what he said. My eyes widen as panic starts to settle in me, would he turn me in? No he wouldn't because they killed Irina because she was going to turn me in. I calm down and hope that nobody noticed my almost breakdown.

"Well, I was for a short period of time. I was part of their guard, Aro would make use of me on missions." Eleazar says before sitting down in the couch that's across from me.

"Missions? What do you mean?" I ask confused. I've never heard of the Volturi guards going on missions but that seems likely now that I think of it.

"The guard would go to different covens and Aro would tell me to use my power to find who had powers and what significance they had to us. But I hated how the Volturi worked and how they made people stay in their guard. One day I saw Carmen and just told Aro I was going to leave. He tried to stop me but Chelsea's gift couldn't keep me to the Volturi."

"Wait, I've heard the names on the guard before, but I've never heard of their powers. So could you maybe explain a little?" I cut in.

"Of course, sorry. Anyway, Chelsea can make emotional ties stronger or weaker towards other people. So on missions, she'd cut the ties between the innocent and guilty so that the innocent wouldn't feel as guilty when they ratted out on friends. But the one bound Chelsea can't break is the mate bond anything weaker than that and it would be in danger of her.

"Jane, can make you believe that you feel pain and her twin, Alec, can do the opposite. He can cut off all senses and leave you standing there unaware of anything around you. Demetri can find a flavor of someone's mind and can then track them all around the world. Heidi's is very simple, just being beautiful and Reneta is another shield. You can be walking towards her and suddenly going a different direction with no thought of changing direction, I wonder what would happen if you went against her. Interesting." Eleazar started mumbling under his breath and I cleared my throat to get him to focus.

His eyes snap up to mine before remembering what he was saying before. "Almost all of the guards have mates except for one, Elijah, and you know his power." I nod my head quickly.

"Well, Alec has his mate Corin, Jane has her mate Demetri, Heidi has her mate Santiago, Reneta and Felix, and Chelsea and Afton are mates. Only two of the Volturi leaders have mates, Aro with Sulpicia, Caius with Athenodora and Marcus with his late mate Didyme.

"I believe that you will be able to block all of the Volturi guard's powers since they all have something to do with the brain. This means that you would be able to block all of their powers on everyone and they'd be completely useless. I wonder if any of them actually have training." Eleazar finishes, looking out the far window in thought.

"There aren't any more guards that you know of?" I lean forward in my chair in interest.

"No, I haven't heard of anymore guards being added since I left. But if there are more guards, I think that we would be able to take them, especially if we killed Jane and Alec right away. They are the biggest problem." Eleazar said.

"Can people walk through your shield Bella?" Carmen spoke up from her spot beside Eleazar.

"Yes, I think so. It is only mental." She nodded her head like she had thought of that and I was just confirming her ideas.

"Um, I don't mean to be too forward but could I copy your powers so that I can practice them? And it would be even better since you'd be here to help. That is, if you want me to?" I say uncomfortable with asking for another's powers.

"Sure, I have no problems. And I'll help you as much as I can," Kate stretches out her hand and grasps my forearm. A tingling sensation shoots through my body and settles in my fingers, making them seem like they fell asleep.

"Now take a deep breath and focus on the level of shock you want in your hands," Kate says and I do just that.

I slowly reach out and touch Garrett lightly. He flinches at my touch and Kate smiles at me.

"Hey, what did I ever do to you?" Garrett says indignantly.

"Not telling me that you're mated to this lovely person," I point to Kate and raise one eyebrow.

"I've been busy," Garrett mumbles.

"I'm not mad," I roll my eyes, "I'm very happy for you." I smile at both of them and they breathe a sigh of relief.

"Now picture locking Kate's power into a steel tight box with many pad locks and then touch Garrett again." Eleazar speaks up.

I picture a large steel box with 3 different pad locks keeping Kate's power locked tightly inside, not letting it out until I consciously want it to. I reach out and touch Garrett again and my eyes widen when he doesn't flinch. Then I let out a huge sigh of relief. I don't need to always deal with powers I don't want, I can lock them away. And it works.

"Good, good. Now have my power and I'll teach you how to tell one power from another." Eleazar reaches out a hand in a hand shake and I grasp his hand tightly. I ignore the tingling feeling and close my eyes.

When I open them again Kate has a slight yellowish glow around her and Eleazar is glowing a bright white. My eyes widen and Eleazar chuckles at my expression.

"What you're seeing now is what I see all the time. The glow is a hint of the person's power, now if you focus on the air above the person; your intuition will tell you what the power is. It takes a while to get used to it but I've found it very useful." Eleazar says.

I focus on the air above Eleazar and something in my mind whispers _ability_ _identification_, softly to me. My eyes widen and I slowly turn to Kate and the same thing happens, _electrical current_ it whispers to me.

"Wow," I whisper to myself. "Thank you, you have no idea how much this will help me."

Eleazar chuckles lightly again before speaking, "I think I do, and you're welcome."

I sigh happily and lean back into the couch. Finally everything is going to be alright.


	16. Taunt

Ch. 16 - Taunt

"In the newborn wars, usually one side would try to sneak up on the other side or attack them when their numbers are at their lowest, like after a fight. The leader will stay back with either their lieutenants or coven mates or both. But they always keep some people back just in case they need more people to help rebuilt their army." Eleazar is teaching me on the art of the newborn wars and how the Volturi work on missions. Maybe this will help me understand the upcoming war a little better.

"Aro will most defiantly stay back with both his brothers and the elite guard, which consists of Demetri, Felix, Alec, Jane and Reneta. I'm not sure if the brothers mates will come too but they probably will just for more back up.

"The guard is like a huge wall of different shades of black fading to grey and they all move as one, so that can seem a bit intimidating but that's the point. Jane and Alec won't use their powers right away but Demetri will, he's been told to catch the…flavor? That's about as good as I can explain it, and he'll be able to track all of the people that you have with you. But if you use your shield he won't be able to track any of us and most of the Volturi's powers will be useless because they mostly have mental powers." Eleazar pauses for a moment. "Are you planning on obtaining all of the Volturi's powers Bella?"

"Yes, I might as well because if we are going to kill them, no one else will have a gift like theirs forever." I say.

"How are you going to be able to do that if you are fighting on your own battles?" Eleazar questioned.

I smirk, "I have a plan, don't worry." I say as vaguely as I can and wink at him.

Eleazar raises his hands and says, "I assure you that I don't worry. You are perfectly capable of taking care of yourself."

I smile widely at that fact. I have always been told that I couldn't take care of myself so it tastes like that sweetest chocolate to hear those words.

"Do you remember when I told you about how I took Victoria's power but I don't know what it is?" I ask.

"Yes, of course."

"Can you tell what it is or how I could work it?" I ask hopefully, look over at Eleazar.

He takes a deep breath and then lets it out slowly, "Unfortunately no, it's in your mind and I can't really tell what that power might do. But you could tell me about some o the things that you can do that don't fall under the categories of your other powers."

"Um… there really isn't anything that was out of the ordinary. Wait." I pause and think. This seems like something that doesn't really fit. "When I was fighting Hal in the forest, there was a little voice in the back of my head telling me what to do next. Does that help?"

Eleazar taps his finger against his knee in thought before speaking, "Yes. It seems that Victoria's power was running. She had a part of her brain that told her what to do next in emergencies, such as your fight with Hal."

"So I have a running commentary going on in my head about how to fight and when to run from a fight. Without even taking any fighting lessons?"

"I guess that's the easiest way to explain it." Eleazar said and shrugged.

"Awesome," I whisper just under my breath. "Thank you for all that you've done for me Eleazar. It's proven very helpful and I don't know what I would have done without your help." I say as sincerely as possible.

"No thanks is necessary, I just want one favor." Eleazar turns serious.

"Of course, what is it?" I ask tilting my head to the side in confusion.

"I get to kill Felix; he's been a pain in my fucking ass since the beginning." I blink my eyes in surprise. I have held an image of Eleazar as an older Carlisle, one who never swears but I think that that image just came crashing down. I wonder if Carlisle swears when he's mad. That would be a hilarious scene.

I let out a small amused smile and say, "Of course, but I think that when we meet up before the war, all of the allies will want one person to kill of their own. But you have dibs on Felix, no worries."

We sit in comfortable silence for a time, both of us looking out the windows across from us. The clean fresh air from outside is blowing softly into the house from an open window somewhere on the second floor. The low floating clouds practically stick to the enormous trees outside the windows and I imagine how it would feel to just live in the forest.

With the smells of the damp trees and the soft earth beneath my feet, the sounds of the animals running through the forest or eating and the birds cawing and flapping in the wind. It would be so peaceful and relaxing to just go and hide in the forest for the next few hundred years but I have a job to do and I'm not going to give up.

A soft beeping pull me from my thoughts and I look down to the front pocket of my jeans were my phone is. My phone is beeping from a new message and I pull out my phone but stop suddenly. The last couple times I've used this phone is to warn the Cullen's about the spy and when The Volturi messaged me about the war and I have a funny feeling that this is like those messages.

_Surrender to us or we will kill the Cullen's. You have one month. _

I completely freeze, I don't even breath hoping that this is just a horrible joke and isn't true. It can't be true because I told the Cullen's to run and they would've listened to me, they had to have.

I fumble with my phone, trying to scroll through my contacts as fast as I can but the phone can't pick up my super fast movements. I wait for someone to pick up the phone but no one does and a feeling of complete and utter dread encompasses me.

The reality crashes down upon me, they really didn't listen to me and now have sealed their own fate. I guess Demitri could've found them anywhere because he's probably met most of them but they could've tried to run or come to me and I'd protect them.

The text was so impersonal and short and to the point. I don't think they like the fact that I haven't given in yet. They most likely don't even care that they've changed this entire thing for me, now I really have something to lose. Even though the Cullen's left me, I still care for them and if they die, it'll be on my conscious.

"I-I have to go," I choke out trying to keep calm but failing. "Thank you again for all your help and I'll call you to the war when I need you." I tell Eleazar before bolting out of the house.

I don't slow down for anything, not even for a bite to eat from a herd of deer. I just don't have the time; I have to make sure that the Volturi are telling the truth.

*Line Break*

An unfamiliar scent is permeating the air close to the Cullen house and it doesn't make me feel any better. I cut my speed in half, not wanting to be ambushed and not aware of someone in the surrounding woods.

The scent grows stronger the closer I get to the house and to my horror, there are fallen trees littering the ground everywhere. More and more trees and pulled from the ground and snapped in half, like someone used a tree as a baseball bat.

When the house comes into view all the air rushes from my lungs in one gush. My eyes widen as I take in the broken windows, and some missing parts of walls. I approach the house cautiously, still not sure if anyone is here. With all of my new senses, I don't detect anyone but that doesn't always mean anything.

I step through a hole in the side of the house and take in the overturned furniture and door hanging off its hinges. I'm guessing from the extensive damage that the Volturi wasn't very nice with how they took the Cullen's. They probably pushed the door almost all off its hinges and then the Cullen's must have tried to make a run for it. But the guard members must have stopped them somehow, probably very easily if they had Alec and Jane with them.

But why wouldn't Alice have seen them coming? Unless Aro made a snap decision that she didn't see until it was too late. It seems like that would happen because it is most likely that Aro makes it his job to know almost everything about everyone, just so that he can have some leverage over them.

I just hate the thought that they had tried to fight for themselves and it didn't work at all, mostly because they didn't have the power to stop Alec and Jane. I should've stayed a while longer; maybe if I had told them who I really was then I would've been there and have helped them out of trouble. Or if they had listened to me when I had told them to run, I would've met up with them and then helped them. Then I could've told them who I really was and maybe brought them with me to visit the Denali's. But this all hangs on me just because they know me somehow.

I turn to leave the house when a flash of white catches my eyes, and I turn to study it. There is a note on the overturned coffee table and is fluttering in the slight breeze. I walk towards the note, feeling like I'm in some of those predictable horror movies. _Don't read the note Bella_ my brain whispers to me. With a scoff I pick up the note and almost immediately drop it like it had burned my hand.

_Come to the forests near the northeast side of Volterra in one month to surrender or the Cullen's will be killed on the spot. _

_-Jane._

_Have fun_

That bitch is taunting me! Is she that arrogant in her powers that she would dare to taunt me even more? If she thinks that she will be able to use her powers against me when we meet in the near future then she is very mislead.

I tighten my hands into fists and try not to let my anger get the best of me. If Jane thinks that she can taunt me and get away with it then she is going to be sorry. Especially taunting me right after threatening the Cullen's lives.

It a very controlled manner, I turn on my heel and walk out the door again. I make it to the forest before some of my anger seeps out from my iron grip of will and punch the tree nearest to me. It cracks and slowly falls to the forest floor but not before taking so other trees down with it.

I look at the lifeless house before me and wonder how my life became such a drama while the dirt settles. I then reach into my pocket and pull out my cell phone and call the Irish Coven. Reilly answers on the second ring and I get straight to the point "Meet me on June 29th in the forests on the north east side of Volterra and bring the whole coven." I then hang up on her before she can comment.

I know it is rude of me to do that but I'm going to burst if anything takes too long. I then call the Denali's, and Peter and Charlotte to inform them of the day to meet me.

I snap my phone shut and turn my back to the lifeless house before me. It's time to find more people to help in this war. I must do it quickly to because I'm on a time limit.


	17. When We Stand Together

Thank you to LordXeenTheGreat for the name Scarlett, TeamEdward-aka jacobhater for the names Ethan and Sophia, and UndelinedSmile for the names Emma.

Ch.17 – When We Stand Together

_We must stand together_

_(Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)_

_There's no giving in_

_(Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)_

_Hand in hand forever_

_(Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)_

_That's when we all win_

_(Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)_

_That's, that's, that's when we all win_

_That's, that's, that's when we all win_

"Remember; be in those forests on June 29th. I'd really appreciate your help." I paused with one hand on the door frame. "Thank you again but now I must be going."

I step out into the densely packed jungle outside of the Amazonian Coven's home, take a deep breath and then run to East. I plan on catching a plane in Rio de Janeiro to Cairo, Egypt to meet up with the Egyptian Coven next.

Over the past two weeks I've met the Russian Coven which consists of Alexei, the leader and Emilia his mate. Their friends are Mikhail and Anastasiya and have known each other from a great part of three hundred years.

Anastasiya is the only one that I really bonded with in the three days that I stayed with them. She was changed under similar circumstances as me. She was going to be killed by two vampires when Mikhail came across her and killed the female vampire. The male went into a rage and attacked Anastasiya while Mikhail was putting the female into the fire. Mikhail ultimately saved her but not before the other male bit Anastasiya and she started the change. Mikhail has stayed with her ever since and has helped her develop her telekinetic powers.

Anastasiya told me that she would help me with whatever I need, she would help me and she voluntarily gave me her powers before I even asked for them. I have a feeling that she will be one of the forever types of friends that everybody needs in their lives.

Then I went to the Scandinavian Coven's house in Oslo, Norway. They were cautious of me because they knew that there was some vampire that was recruiting people for the war and they were right to be cautious. Adrian, the leader, seemed to know exactly what I wanted from them the moment I stepped into the door. I checked to see if he had any powers but it seemed that he just had good intuition or could read people very easily. I thought that it would be Nikita or Derek that would try to attack me but instead it was Kjrysten, Adrian's mate. She attacked me once I told them who I was and what I wanted to ask them. I managed to touch her skin enough to gain her powers and using Eleazar's gift I quickly determined what it was. Kjrysten has a physical shield, she can control it much like I can since it is inside her and she has to force it outside of her body to protect herself. I forced the shield out with some difficulty and then explained my whole story but keeping a loose grip on the shield just in case I need to use it.

After I finished my story I was introduced to Derek who had the ability to teleport to any place as long as he knew what it looked like and his mate for a little over 600 years, Nikita. Nikita was best friends with Nikita but hated physical confrontation. I agreed with her but then admitted that sometimes you have to fight for what you believe or else it will be taken from you. I think that she has a new way to look at things and if I were to teleport to their home now, I think that she would be learning how to fight from Adrian, the coven's fighting expert.

I have also met some nomads during my traveling. In the beginning, I was going to look for them but it was a little funny how I just stumbled upon them.

Ethan and his mate Sophia I met in an airport in Toronto before my flight to Russia. Ethan and Sophia both didn't have any powers but they agreed to help me and then introduced me to their friends Emma and her mate Lucas that were traveling together until they would split up in Maine to live their separate lives.

I shake off my thoughts by the annoying lady at the gate of the plane asking for my passport. I understand that she needs it but does she need to be so bossy about it? I plaster on a fake smile and hand her my passport and ticket.

"Have a good flight," She sneers at me with a huge plastic grin on her face.

"I will and you have a good day." I say overly sweetly.

I quickly shut the blind in front of the window so that I don't sparkle when the sun is seen above the clouds. I really liked my time with the Amazon Coven, especially with Zafrina. She could make you see whatever she wanted you too and helped me strengthen my shield even more because I haven't had much practice since I left the Denali's. I mostly worked on my newer powers and tried to build up my strength so that I can use them more often.

Kachiri is the leader of the Amazon Coven and in her human life were best friends with Zafrina and Senna. When Kachiri was changed she went back to her village and changed her friends herself. The Amazons are all over six feet tall and are dark skinned and haired.

So far almost everyone has agreed to help me in the war except one of the nomads that I actually looked for. I searched for Alistair after meeting the Scandinavian Coven and when I finally found him in his little cave, he was not happy to see me at all. He started to threaten me before realizing that no threat would actually mean anything to me and then just settled for glaring at me. He never let me finish more than three words without having some nonproductive thing to say and I finally snapped at him.

He started listening to me after I lost my temper but was still a jerk about everything. I started wishing that the meeting would be over soon so that I wouldn't have to listen to his whining anymore but I still had to ask whether he would help me or not. I already knew the answer because of his behavior but I still asked to be polite and wasn't surprise that he said no.

After meeting Alistair I wasted no time in heading to Romania to visit Stefan, Vladimir and their mates. I was a little unsettled at being so close to the Volturi until I realized that I can change my appearance and they never need to know who I am. Vladimir and Stefan both have a powdery look to it that I can only think is due to the years that they have been alive.

What I found interesting about the coven was that the males seemed to finish each other's sentences and the girls would finish each other's sentences also. I know that Jake would call them Dracula one and two due to the mysterious aura that seems to surround them.

Their mates were very good company and would tell me of their human lives and where they have lived over the years and which one they liked best. Scarlett, Stefan's mate, is the biological sister to Vladimir's mate Rhiannon. Stefan and Vladimir had walked into their town and stumbled across them in the middle of the night and both boys felt the undeniable pull of their mates. They kidnapped Scarlett and Rhiannon from the town and turned them that same night and they've stayed together ever since.

I've already gotten off the plane in Cairo and now am standing in the living room of the Egyptian Coven's house. There are huge steal shutters on the windows to keep the sun from shinning in and Amun, the leader of the coven, is pacing in front of me.

He seems very paranoid and from stories that I've heard, he doesn't want to lose Benjamin, his prized coven mate. Benjamin is probably one of the most skilled vampires I've ever meet. He can physically influence the four elements and not just give an illusion that he is. So I can see why Amun would want to keep Benjamin with him, Benjamin is someone that would be very dangerous if influenced to do certain things.

Kebi hasn't spoken the whole time that I've been hear, she hasn't even introduced herself to me. Amun did it for her. Tia has a strong sense of right and wrong, like her mate Benjamin and has very great insight from the little time I've spent with them.

"I believe that you will need this in the not too distant future," Benjamin says after sitting down on the couch next to me. I give him a questioning look but then he grabs my hand for a few moments so that I will copy his power.

I smile gratefully at him before removing my hand from his and turning to Amun who has now stopped pacing. "I think this mission of yours is completely suicidal and you will bring down any vampire that is with you."

"It seems that you don't believe that we can win this fight. I know that I and many other vampires would rather fight and die for a worthy cause then hide and not pick a side." I blinked up at him, pretending to look innocent.

Kebi opens her mouth to say something but then snaps her mouth shut after a second.

"I know that my coven will not be risking their existences in the silly fight that can be easily avoided." Amun spat at me and continued pacing.

I tense at the part that they wouldn't be helping me but only because I don't want Chelsea to come here and try to separate this coven. I understand if they want to stay together but I must tell them the risks of not coming with me, even just for protection.

Benjamin's eyes widen in shock and he jumps to his feet. "How can you say that?" He shouts at Amun. "This woman is not guilty of anything the Volturi says and is just trying to help everyone, not sabotaging other covens. She's trying to make a difference and I know that I will help her even if I have to leave this coven."

Amun spun around at Benjamin's words and yelled. "How can you say that? She's either going to get you killed or the Volturi will know about you and then you will be forced to join their coven!"

I stood up next and my eyes darted towards the other females in the room to see that their eyes were looking back and forth between Amun, Benjamin and I.

"I accept your thoughts on this subject but I swear to you that if Benjamin and Tia do come with me, they will live through this war, will return to you and the Volturi will not bother you again." I say calmly.

"You are so sure that you will win that you can swear this to me? Can you swear it on your existence?" Amun snarled at me.

"Yes, I do swear on my existence because I have faith that we will win." I glance towards Tia and see her nod at me in respect. "Now if you decide to join me meet me in the forests near Volterra on June 29th."

I turn on my heel and swiftly make me exit. Not knowing what else to say that could convince Amun of something that he is so against.

*Line Break* _June 29__th_

I'm waiting in the forests on the north east side of Volterra with the Irish and Denali Coven. They were the first coven's to get here and now we are waiting for the rest.

A rustling in the trees is heard to my left and I snap my head in that direction. The rustling becomes louder and then, as one group, the Amazon's, half of the Egyptian coven, Scandinavian, Russian, Romanian and the Nomads come out of the forest.

I let out a huge sigh of relief, thankful that they all stuck with their decision. I seemed confident on the inside during the last few weeks but on the inside I've been shaking and so close to crumbling. I smile slightly and take in the picture of everyone coming together to fight for what they believe in and use that to fortify my resolve.

I take a step forward and so do the Denali and Irish Coven's to my sides until the entire group is in one big circle with me inside of it.

"Thank you for coming, I can't tell you what this mean to me. I know that some people wouldn't come for personal reason but I don't hold that against you." I pause and look at Benjamin and Tia; they both smile slightly at me in response.

"I want you all to know something, since you know of my past with the Cullen's and since they will most likely be at the fighting ground tomorrow. I will have to disguise myself as someone else tomorrow so that they don't think that they have to save me. I will slowly change my appearance and scent so that you can see the change yourselves before the fight. Any questions?" I ask.

"How are we going to be safe from the witch twins?" Stefan says.

"I will use my mental shield to protect you all. I have been working on it and I can cover a great amount of ground without using much power at all so I can help much more than I thought I could at the beginning." I explain.

Everyone nods their heads at this and Eleazar clears his throat pointedly. I tilt my head in confusion before our last conversation suddenly floods through my mind. I nod slightly in understanding and clear my throat to get everyone's attention.

"A detail has come to my attention and I want to share it with you all. I know that you all have grudges against some of the Volturi and I want to give you this time to speak out and tell each other who you would like to personally kill. I would like Aro, anyone else?" I ask spinning to look at everyone around me.

"I would like to kill Felix, he's mine." Eleazar stated.

"I want Heidi; she's caused too many families too much pain over the many years." Kate said from her spot between Eleazar and Tanya

"I want Caius; he's a greedy bastard who doesn't know when to stop the killing and to be lenient." Tanya says from Kate's right side.

"I would like Alec; he has caused me many pains throughout the years." Vladimir says and his mate nods in response.

I open my mouth to speak again, "I have two more things to say, before you completely destroy any vampire on their side make sure that I touched them to get their power. It might be useful in the future. And secondly I want you all to know that you can leave at any time and I won't hold you against it. It's your lives that you are risking."

Everyone looks at each other and nods their heads slightly in agreement to whatever they are thinking. "There needs to be change, not matter what the risk." Everyone says at once.

I smile at the image of everyone together and say, "We must stand together." Everyone nods their heads in response and then we all head towards the clearing. The clearing is about 2000 feet away and we are going to be waiting there for the Volturi to come.

We run the distance and wait one side for the Volturi to come. I slowly change my appearance from my regular look to a short bob cut with pitch black hair and to make my jaw line sharper that it usually is. I make myself taller by about 4 inches and change my scent to cinnamon and a fresh rain.

The next day at noon a noise is heard in the distance and we all ready ourselves. Since the sky will be cloudy for all day we don't need to worry about us sparkling in the sun. They enter the clearing as one body, all moving in time with each other and standing tall and royally. The Cullen's are holding onto each other in the middle of a circle made by the Volturi's most trusted guards and I try to calculate the best way to get to them.

I quickly put up my mental shield and wrap it around everyone on my side. I then shape the shield so that it wraps around the Cullen's so close that it's like a second skin. I hope that it will work but I'm not sure.

The Volturi stop suddenly and Aro, Marcus, and Caius move to the front of the line.

"Hello, Isabella." Aro says.

"Hello Aro." I say.


	18. If I Die

Ch. 18 – If I Die

_Previously:_

"_Hell Bella." Aro says._

"_Hello Aro." I say._

"I can't say it's nice to meet you thought," Aro says smiling slightly.

"Likewise," I keep my expression neutral and don't give any hints to my true feelings.

"I know that you killed Hal, so you must have his power. So show us who you really are, we all want to know who we are fighting." Aro jesters towards everyone on his side of the clearing and they all nod their heads. There must have been five hundred vampires on his side, and my confidence almost slips at the thought of us going up against them. But then I remember all of the powers that we have and the skill too.

I pause and take in the situation. I could just change my appearance to someone else that they haven't seen yet. But I need all of my attention in the fight and now on keeping my appearance as someone else. My internal struggle must have shown on my face because Kate grabs my left hand and Reilly grabs my right hand. They both squeeze hard and I know my decision.

I don't close my eyes because I know enough not to let the enemy out of your sights for even a minute.

I slowly let my hair lengthen out and grow lighter to my regular color, then I round my jaw bones more. Everyone is watching in rapt fascination like I'm a bird that's about to take its first flight. I remove my eyes from Aro and lock eyes with Edward and there is an unknown emotion in his eyes, I really hope he doesn't hate me. Then last but not least I change my scent back to its original strawberries and freesia scent. The Cullen's jaws unhinge and I know that they are trying to figure out how they didn't see this before.

Aro's smile drops and he speaks up. "How do we know that you aren't lying?"

I laugh a cold laugh, "Why would I lie? This will be the end for one of us and it will be much easier if I don't need to concentrate on my appearance." At this the Cullen's seem to snap out of it and try to get out of the circle to no use.

"Bella, run!" They all shout at the same time and I give them a sad smile.

Aro starts pacing back and forth in front of his army not removing his eyes from mine for even a second. "Now Bella, I'm only going to ask this once. I will let you become a part of the Volturi royalty or you can die here today with your loved ones."

I'm shocked and confused at this. I always thought he just wanted me as a guard, never as royalty. "Why royalty?" I ask cautiously.

Aro stops his pacing to look at me confused now. "Because I thought that you would like it better than being a part of the guard."

Ah, this makes sense now. He thought that he might be able to buy me by giving me the illusion of a type of power that I don't want. And probably because he wants to keep a closer eye on me. "Or so you could keep a closer eye on me," I voice my thoughts.

Aro smiles slightly, "Yes, that too. Now what's your decision?"

I shake my head back and forth in amazement. He really thought that I would join him for some power that means nothing? "I will never work for you." I spit out at him.

Aro sighs, like this is something that caused him the deepest grief and says, "Very well."

Before Aro can give the guard any signal to attack I teleport across the field. I appear behind Carlisle and check to make sure that the Cullen's are all still holding onto each other. I then teleport back to my side of the field and watch in amusement as Aro snaps his head back and forth between where the Cullen's were and where they are now.

Everyone starts mumbling amongst themselves and now the Volturi isn't so confident anymore. "Hey!" I shout. "If anyone doesn't want to fight for the Volturi they can join me and I swear that you will be under my protection."

A second passes before anyone moves at all and then only a quarter of the people come over to my side. I quickly encompass them in my shield and flinch slightly as the sharp stab of pain on the one side of my shield.

Edward gasps and then looks towards Kate, where the stab of pain was felt against my shield. "Kate, are you alright?"

"Of course Edward," She snaps at him. Ever since I would her what happened to me after he left me she has officially been on 'Team Bella'.

My eyes widen because I've learned that if anyone is under my shield, they can use their powers on others so Edward must be able to hear everyone under my shield by now. But there is no reaction to any of their thoughts on his face. They must be pretty focused on the fight and not on me.

"Jane just used her power on you Kate. Are you sure you didn't feel anything?" Edward asks again hurriedly.

That must have been the pain on my shield, Jane's power. It didn't hurt much and I can probably ignore it but she will be pretty focused on killing me now.

"Yes, I'm sure." Kate's expression is confused for a moment before realization crosses it. "Bella, are you using your shield?"

"Yes," I reply turning my eyes back to the Volturi. They all seem shocked and a little more scared since Jane's power isn't working on any of us. "When this fight begins, I'll try to protect you all but I'm sorry if I lose focus for a second. If I anyone says that they are under my protection, be cautious around them until I tell you to trust them. Understand?"

"Of course Bella, we understand." Kjrysten says.

I take a deep breath and say firmly, "Go."

I believe that the Volturi take this as a sign to attack because they rush foreword at the same time that we do. Eleazar reaches Felix and quickly dismembers him as Kate attacks Heidi. I use Eleazar's gift and map out who has any power of any kind. I then teleport from person to person, making sure to touch them and then wait a second or two to make sure that I really did get the power.

When I get to Jane, I touch her shoulder and she spins around quickly. When she realizes who is touching her she lashes out and tries to swipe at my face with her claws but I'm already across the field again.

I don't have time to completely figure out how to work the powers but with my memory and Eleazar's power, I should be able to remember which power does what.

I teleport to the edge of the forest and watch as Benjamin uses his power of fire to make many fires around the clearing and then use the wind to keep vampires in place so that my friends can destroy them. I teleport to join Benjamin and waves my hand outward in a 'stop' motion, then I raise my hand and watch as huge, jagged spikes rise from the earth and trap some of the vampires long enough so that I can tear them apart.

We haven't lost any vampires yet because I'm always checking on everyone and if they seem to be in trouble then I go and help them out. Like Charlotte is in trouble now.

I teleport to her side and use wind to blow the vampire off her but not too far away and then I snap my fingers. The vampire lights up like some of the people on the movie 'Firestarter' with Drew Barrymore.

"Thank you Bella." Charlotte says.

"You're welcome, but now we better get back to the fight." I say and then disappear from sight only to reappear beside Edward to help him out since he was fighting two vampires.

I quickly kill my vampire and am about to leave when Edward grabs my elbow and tugs me to the edge of the forest.

"We need to talk," Edward says while dragging me away from my new friends.

"Edward, I don't think this is a good idea. We need to help everyone." I say and then look back at the fight.

Edward turns around and grabs my shoulders, "Bella, I left for good reasons. It seemed that the whole world was against us and you weren't safe with me. Every time we got close something would happen and the night of your birthday I realized that it would always have been like that."

I shrug out of his grip and snap at him, "Not if you had changed me but I guess that if you had changed me then I wouldn't be who I am today. Now I will always love you, no matter what even if you don't love me and have found a distraction that you like." My voice is soft and quiet by the end.

"Bella I have always loved you, there's never been any distractions. Don't you understand that? I left because I loved you so much that I wanted you to have a normal human life, even if that didn't turn out as planned." Edward smiles slightly, looking into my new eyes.

"Of course it didn't, I'm the danger magnet remember?" I spread my arms wide, as is telling him that this whole mess is his fault. Which it probably is because he didn't change my when I wanted to be but then again this would've happened anyway when the Volturi found out what I could do.

I glance to my left and see that Mikhail is almost being destroyed. I whip my hand out and place a physical shield around the vampire and clench my first together, imaging the shield getting tighter and tighter, crushing the vampire inside it. The vampire soon turns to dust and Mikhail shouts a "thanks" towards me before setting fire to the ashes.

"Of course I remember. Bella, I should tell you something before we go back to fighting, I can't feed when I think of you in danger. I feel my heart tear itself out of my chest when you're sad and I fear for you so much even though a part of my mind knows that you can take care of yourself." Edward looks deeply into my eyes, as if trying to show my how much that was true. His eyes shown with truth and love and I couldn't find any doubt or lie in his eyes.

I reach up and grasp Edward's face in my hands and bring it towards mine. I brush my lips across his for a second and try to memorize the feeling of his lips on mine. "I love you," I whisper against his lips.

"I love you too," he whispered back and my heart leaped into my throat.

I always loved Edward; just he hurt me and lied to me so he has to gain my trust again before we can be anywhere close to what we were before this whole situation.

I don't tell him any of this because if I die then I want him to think that I loved him and trusted him. Not that I didn't trust him and wanted him to gain it back. I just want to give him a little peace of mind.

I push Edward and say, "Go back to the fight, I'll see you later." I smile at him and turn to go help the others. I spot Elijah across from me and I decide that I really have to speak to him.

I teleport across the field and we both share a look. We begin fighting with a little of our strength to keep up appearances and I am starting to feel the effects of using my powers.

A thousand questions cross my mind and one sticks out from the rest. "When we were pretending to fight in Seattle, what was the look of realization that crossed your face?"

Elijah smirks at that and says, "I had one mission then, to kill Victoria. But I had heard of an old legend that the one person that could have whatever she wanted but wasn't power hungry but instead selfless and kind could change a part of the world. I realized that it was you. When I came back to the Volturi I didn't want to give Aro my hand because then he'd see everything but it seemed that all he could see was some vampire helping me kill Victoria. And that that vampire was the vampire from legend but she didn't have a physical description, just a name. Your power of a shield even protects you from people like Aro that want to read others thoughts because you are in them, so you don't even exist." He explains and I store that information away for later use.

"Thank you Elijah, for all of your help. Would you like to join my cause?" I ask politely, stopping the fighting and holding my hand out in invitation.

"Yes, thank you." He says and grabs my hand.

I smile and teleport us towards Eleazar. He has just finished off a vampire and turns towards me. "Elijah is on our side and I want you to know that you are my second in command now." I pause and step closer for emphasis. I grip his shoulders tightly in his hands and say, "Keep everyone safe, please."

Eleazar's eyes widen in surprise before his eyes narrow in thought. He seems to be thinking hard about something but remembers to nod his head to my sentence.

I spin away from him and quickly take in the scene around me. The Cullen's are in a circle with their backs to each other taking on some newborns. The others are all in groups of two or three taking out the stronger vampires that have lasted longer but some of my friends are standing beside Eleazar, waiting to see if anyone needs any help.

I throw up Kjrysten's physical shield and wrap it around all of my friends. I picture yanking the shield into a smaller shape and everyone on the far edges is thrown back closer to the center of the shield. They quickly get up to see what is going on. When they figure out what has happened they turn to me to shout their protests but they notice that I'm outside of the shield.

Their faces morph from confusion to shock to pain as they understand that I'm going to keep them safe by killing everyone else on my own.

"Bella, don't do this! Let us out! We can help you!" Emmett shouts and bangs repeated on the shield to test its strength.

Emmett then takes ten steps back and runs full speed towards the shield to see if it will break. I don't want him to hurt himself so I place a pocket of flowing air in front of where he is running to stop him in his tracks.

"Bella let us out honey. You don't need to do this." Kate pleads to me. I think that we've grown on each other during the time we spent together. I consider her an older and wiser sister who I'd listen to but I can't listen to her now.

I shake my head and bite my bottom lip to stay strong. Tears fill my vision but they don't fall. I close my eyes to block out everyone but Tia's voice stands out, "Bella, I know that you think you're protecting us but we will just be hurt more if you don't let us try to fight."

A sob bubbles out of my chest and I take in a shaky breath, "I have to do this. I'm sorry and I love you all." I said before turning to the Volturi who were watching us with interest for the past minute.

I test myself to see if I'm fine to take this any farther. I'm alright but I don't think I will be able to do any huge things, like control fire, for more than twenty minutes at a time.

I see that everyone with the Volturi have fallen into position again but I look for specific people this time. Jane, Caius, Felix, Alec and Chelsea are dead so that's good because I don't need to worry about their powers.

"If anyone wants to join my side now since Chelsea's power has lost its effect on you, you can. I promise that no harm will come to any of you." I say in my firmest voice, putting as much confidence as I can into it.

Half of the new number of the Volturi comes over and I quickly encompass them into my physical and mental shield too. I don't want them to try and do something stupid and break my focus.

"I'm going to give you one last chance Aro. Go back to Volterra and live your life. Don't bother me and I won't bother you, we don't have to do this." I say to him.

Aro chuckles darkly before speaking, "Oh yes we do, look at your family and friends. They will always be in danger just because they are on your side and not ours."

I freeze completely at that because it's true. If any vampire wants to get out of trouble or even on the good side of the Volturi or both they'd try to kill one of my friends. And then since I'd be in so much pain, I wouldn't think right and then could risk everyone else's lives too. There is only one way to end this but I think that subconsciously I always knew it would end like this.

I look back at my friends and notice them all shaking their heads at my expression. I twist back around and say, "If I join you, do you swear on your life and your mate's that my friends will not see harm, either mentally, physically or emotionally?"

Aro smirks deviously, like he's thinking something that will change the whole game. "Yes I can do that." He says to me.

Something inside my twinges and then starts yelling something at me, but I'm so relieved that I don't understand what it is.

"Then I'll join you, now what do I do?" I say, looking cautiously at the other members of the Volturi.

"Just come forward dear." Aro says to me and jesters with his hand to come forward.

I step forward with purpose, I want to be remembered as someone who surrendered to help others and not because I had no choice.

Aro suddenly lunges for my throat and I stumble back but my brain switches into fight mode quickly. Aro is still coming at me so I slap his hands into the air above him before kicking him in the chest, pushing him about fifteen feet away from me. I run at full speed towards Aro and grab him by his left shoulder and arm, ready to pull it from his body. I take his power and then use it against him to see his past memories. He was lying to me when he said my friends would have no harm of any kind come to them. That's what the twinge was but I guess I didn't realize it when I was so relieved for their safety.

My vision is tainted red now and I let out an animalistic growl before tearing off his arm roughly. He tries to kick my legs out from under me but I knew what was going to happen and jumped over his head. He spins around and whacks me in the side of the head when I'm landing and I'm thrown off my feet. I blink a couple of times to get rid of the spots and then jump to my feet again. Aro pretends to kick me and then tries to really punch me but I dodge his kick by jumping over his leg. Then I extend my right leg as far as it will go and kick him under the jaw. His head snaps back and a crack shows from his jaw line to collar bone.

A scream breaks my focus and I spin back to my friends. Alice's mouth is open in absolute horror and before I can completely register what that means, Aro has tackled me and I shout in surprise. I try to get out from under him but nothing works until I get an idea. My hand shoots out to grip Aro's throat and push his face away from mine. But he easily grabs hold of my hand and bends it backward and uses his other hand to hold my throat to the forest floor beneath me. I give in before he crushes my hand and pull it back to my body, letting it heal itself.

Aro smiles from above me and I again try to pull out of his grip. "Even though this is used too much, do you have any last words?"

I decide that if I do die today, I want to go out with a bang and with a snarky attitude. "Why do the bad guys always talk _so_ much?"

"It prolongs the win, it's sexier that way." Aro informs me.

I scowl at him, "Point to remember – bad guys are never sexy."

Aro clucks his tongue at me in a disapproving manner and I give him my best death glare. "Oh, don't be like that; you had a relatively good life. Now as soon as I kill you I'll kill anyone you've ever known."

"Go to hell!" I sneer at him and struggle once again but he just tightens his grip until he cuts off my oxygen and I sputter for air.

Aro shrugs his shoulders and says, "Can't, I have a restraining order. Now I want you to look into my eyes, I want to watch the hope in your eyes die as you do."

Aro loosens his hold on my throat and I can breathe deeply now. "I'm not going to die! I refuse to!" I yell in his face.

Aro's hand moves from my throat to my jaw bones, "Really? You may have more powers but you don't have the years to defeat me. Look at your friends," he pauses enough to forcibly twist my head to look at my friends.

"They won't ever see you again and you won't get to have a long and happy existence with them." He hisses in my ear.

Aro probably didn't notice but he had loosened his hold just enough for me to get out if I wanted too. He turns my face back to look at him and I watch as his determination at killing me turns into success because he really thinks I don't have any more tricks up my sleeve.

"Maybe I will or maybe I won't but I know one thing, you'll have to rebuild your coven." I whisper. I quickly take the mental shield off of my friends but leave the physical shield up to keep them where they are. I then snap my fingers together and the rest of the Volturi starts on fire. I increase the temperature of the fire until they are ashes in mere seconds.

I smirk at Aro and create an illusion that Aro still has me by my throat. But in actuality I flip us so that I'm on top, chock off Aro's air supply so that he can't speak and change my voice to match his. I force his head back to my friends and whisper, "Say goodbye," in his ear. My friends would see Aro saying that too me and me complying.

I look towards my friends for probably the last time and see the girls all dry sobbing into their mate's chest and the men are holding back sobs of their own. Edward has actually collapsed under the weight of his grief and is looking at the fake me and keeps whispering, "No, no, no. It wasn't supposed to happen this way."

I pull my gaze away from them and rip Aro apart limb by limb and then into tiny unrecognizable pieces. I stand and head towards the nearest fire and place all of the pieces of his body into the fire except his head. My friends are captivated because they think that Aro's head is my head and are accepting the fact that they are still being held in by the physical shield.

I think that they think that 'I'm' still using my powers even while cut up and that's why they can't get out. But I know that as soon as Aro's head touches the flames I will have to drop the shield to keep us appearances and run away.

I take a deep breath and toss Aro's head into the flames at the same time that I simultaneously take down my physical shield and teleport to one of the highest trees around the clearing. I cut off my scent so that no one will find me and watch as everyone runs towards the fire that holds 'my body.' As they near the fire, they all collapse to their knees as grief overtakes them and I am shocked by how much they must have cared for me.

I quickly test my powers and I feel much more energized than I thought I would and am happy with that small fact.

Edward suddenly stands up and with determination in his black eyes, he runs towards the fire that holds Aro's body. I am halfway out of my spot in the tree when Jasper and Emmett grab Edward and hold him down.

"She wouldn't have wanted you to do this, Edward. Think about that. She would've wanted you to live." Jasper says comfortingly to Edward.

"I can't live without her. I can't Jazz." Edward turns his agonized eyes towards Jasper and I silently gasp at the pain and despair in one set of eyes.

"Come on; let's go back to the family." Emmett whispers quietly and both brothers help Edward back to the family.

I close my eyes and chant 'this will help, this will keep them all safe' again and again, hoping to convince myself of it but it doesn't work. I slowly turn away from them even though my heart screams at me to go back. I pull myself away from them all and run into the night.

Whatever I do next will make up for the pain I've caused, I'm sure of it.


	19. Epilogue

Epilogue

My friends should know that I won't die without giving it my all but they really did have to believe that I was dead. I had to pretend that I died in that fight so that anyone who would try to hurt me in anyway wouldn't hurt my friends. If I was dead then no one would hurt my friends and family.

But the downside of that fact is that my family would be in pain at the fact that they think that I'm gone forever now. But it will be worth it. It has to be.

Since all of the Volturi are dead and gone, the vampire world is full of chaos and unrest. Vampire wars and starting again and the immortal children are being created again. I'm going to have to call up an old friend with inside information to help me take care of the world's problem. As far as I'm concerned, as long as I exist the world needs someone to enforce the rules.

I'll have to pick only one power though or else everyone will be suspicious of me and then I'll build a fair and just rule.

If all of the Volturi are gone there why is there an unsettling feeling inside my gut? And why does it feel like there's some other challenge on the horizon? Something bigger and more intense?


End file.
